One Sweet Day
by angelofvenus-l3
Summary: UPDATED.A DuoMina fic.Dedicated to all of you who had suffered a lost love and of course, to all you DM fans.
1. Default Chapter

ONE  SWEET  DAY 

**PROLOGUE**

Three  lone  figures  stood  proudly  on  the  cliff  overlooking  three  particular  mobile  suits  in  line, their  striking  colors  and  huge  forms  contrasting  the  lush  greeneries  in  the  background. Those  young  men  were  silent, each  contemplating  their  thoughts  with  mixed  emotions. The  sight  of  the  mobile  suits  evoked  memories  of  which  each  of  them  were  forced  to  experience  in  different  forms. Some  were  pleasant, while  most  were  not. 

               Those  mobile  suits…they  had  caused  so  many  deaths  but  it  wasn't  the  suits  who  were  responsible  for  all  the  lost  souls  that  were  taken  away  in  the  tragic  events  of  war. Instead, those  who  piloted  the  suits  had  carried  the  burden  of  their  sins  on  their  shoulders  since  then, desperately  hoping  and  praying  that  perhaps  one  day  they  would  be  forgiven  for  those  unforgivable  acts  that  were  carried  in  order  to  protect  their  beliefs. They  prayed  for  peace, not  only  for  the  people  that  had  suffered  the  loss  of  a  loved  one  or  for  the  empty  soul  that  craved  to  be  fulfilled  but  for  themselves  as  well. 

               Looking  back, they  had  followed  a  clouded  path  of  doubts, illusions  and  false  securities  which  led  them  to  consequences  that  would  forever  scarred  their  souls. Yet, now  they  knew  it  was  meant  to  be. For  all  the  lonely  travelers  looking  for  a  home  to  go  to, for  all  the  lost  souls  following  the  tragic  events  of  war, for  all  that  had  suffered  and  became  a  victim  of  the  war, this  was  their  sacrifice. And  their  promise  to  all  the  souls  that  were  stolen, to  protect  as  many  people  as  possible  from  suffering  the  same  fate  they  had.

               The  gentle  evening  breeze  seemed  to  send  a  silent  message  to  the  three  men. They  exchanged  glances  with  one  another  and  shared  a  smile. In  that  brief  moment, their  torn  and  battered  souls  were  exposed  in  their  eyes  while  hope  and  promises  to  a  better  future  reflected  in  their  smiles. Each  noted  those  secret  messages  with  a  nod  from  a  brunette  with  emerald  green  eyes, a  meaningful  smile  from  a  gentle  blonde  with  baby  blue  eyes  and  an  even  wider  grin  from  another  brunette  that  possessed  a  foot  long  braid  and  deep  cobalt, blue  eyes. A  moment  of  understanding, acceptance  and  gratitude  settled  between  them, strengthening  the  bonds  that  was  formed  during  the  battles.

               Turning  back  to  their  suits, the  braided  pilot  lifted  a  palm-sized  device  with  a  button  attached  to it  and  murmured  to  the  mobile  doll  that  had  once  been  his  only  friend, "So  long, buddy. This  time  it's  for  real."

               With  that, he  pressed  the  button  and  instantly, the  three  mobile  suits  vanished  in  a  blinding  light, followed  by  a  thunderous  explosion. The  instant  the  light  faded, so  did  the  mobile  suits, leaving  no  evidence  of  their  existence. 

               Smiling, the  braided  boy  murmured, staring  at  the  spot  where  his  mobile  suit  had  once  stood, "Finally, peace  at  last…"

               In  another  location, the  darken  sky  was  filled  with  sparkling  ornaments  of  the  night. Tiny  pinpricks  of  astral  lights  sprayed  the  sky  in  silvery  streaks, forever  dancing  in  its  ever-changing  patterns. Rare  as  it  may  sound, such  beauty  was  hardly  seen  during  the  war. Nature  wasn't  as  beautiful  as  it  used  to  be, polluted  in  the  environments  of  war  and  corrupted  minds  that  lured  the  bloody  battles. It  was  easy  to  take  nature  for  granted. However  to  some, beauty  could  only  be  appreciated  through  sad  eyes. That  was  when  it  struck  battered  souls  the  most, painfully  taking  in  the  beauty  that  laid  across  from  them. 

               A  pair  of  cerulean  eyes  stared  intensely  at  the  sky, trying  to  understand  why  did  the  stars  seemed  even  more  beautiful  each  night. It  was  almost  too  painful  to  look  at  as  it  triggered  memories  that  lured  her  emotions  to  the  surface. Blinking  back  her  tears, the  girl  shifted  her  gaze   towards  the  swing. 

               The  wooden  bench  was  held  up  by  thick  ropes  that  were  attached  to  the  tree  limbs  high  above. Tiny  batches  of  flowers  were  wrapped  thickly  around  the  rope, almost  concealing  it  and  the  flowery  fragrance  was  so  fresh  it  almost  stung  her  nostril. Green  vines  laced  and  curled  lusciously  around  the  rope, bringing  out  the  beautiful  red  roses  attached  to  it. Anyone  could  tell  it  was  a  beautiful  work  of  art  and  it  was, created  by  a  gentle  artist  whose  only  intention  was  to  spread  beauty  of  all  forms  to  the  world  when  it  was  once  filled  with  pain  and  loss. Unable  to  attain  peace  by  himself  with  kind  speech, he  intended  to  provide  serenity  through  his  skills. And  she  had  been  his  inspiration  for  this.

The  sight  used  to  provide  her  so  much  comfort. Now  it  seemed  like  a  threat  to  her  emotions, aching  her, suffocating  her  with  its  memories. Her  fingers  gently  touched  the  blooming  rose  and  in  that  instant, the   soft  petals  seemed  to  sting  her. However, she  resisted  the  urge  to  pull  back  and  her  hands  slowly  wandered  around  the  flowers, caressing  them  and  savoring  the  softness  and  beauty, all  the  while  inhaling  the  scent  that  lingered  in  the  air. 

Still  holding  onto  the  rope  with  one  hand, she  went  on  her  knees  and  placed  a  batch  of  fresh  red  roses  in   her  arm  onto  the  ground  just  across  the  bench. She  stared  at  it  for  awhile, silently  battling  her  raging  emotions  that  came  unbridled  like  a  storm. Then, painfully, she  glanced  back  at  the  darken  sky  and  made  a  prayer. The  stars  twinkled  in  reply, as  though  noting  her  miseries  and  approving  her  secret  wishes. 

A  lone  tear  slowly  made  its  path  down  her  cheek  and  fell  on  the  rose's  petal. 


	2. Chapter one

ONE  SWEET  DAY 

By  :  angelofvenus_l3

                                                                           **CHAPTER  ONE**

               "Mission  accomplished," Duo  murmured  as  he  punched  the  'save'  button  on  the  keyboard. Sighing, he  leaned  back  against  the  chair  and  stared  blankly  at  the  computer  screen, his  mind  deep  in  thought. His  eyes  then  shifted  towards  the  miscellaneous  documents  scattered  on  his  desk. Thick  reference  books  piled  at  one  corner  while  files, crumpled  papers  and  even  magazines  took  up  another  corner. All  in  all, it  was  a  mess  but  that  sight  did  not  bother  him  at  all. Neat  and  tidy  weren't  exactly  part  of  his  nature  anyway. 

          When  Wufei  had  approached  him  with  an  offer  as  a  part-time  worker  in  the  Preventers  a  year  and  a  half  ago, Duo  was  very  reluctant  to  join, seeing  as  he  hated  to  be  a  part of  something  that  required  any  murder, extensive  trainings  or  intricate  details  of  some  missions  but  now  he  was  glad  he  had  accepted  it, even  though  he  had  to  part  with  Hilde  and  their  business  as  salvage  dealers. With  his  fruitful  experience  in  various  military  fields  and  highly-trained  skills, his  pay  was  higher  than  average  staff  members  and  no  one  dared  to  question  the  upper  levels  about  that. Being  a  former  Gundam  pilot  had  finally  paid  off. Literally.

               Secretly for  him, the  best  part  about  his  job  was  working  together  once  more  with  his  comrades. He  would  never  admit  it  and  neither  would  they  but  he  was  pleased  beyond  words  at  the  prospect  of  seeing  them  again. They  had  became  his  only  closest  friends  during  the  war, the  ones  that  could  actually  see  through  his  smiles, understanding  the  pain  he  had  went  through  and  accepted  him  for  who  he  was. For  that  he  was  grateful. Even  though  none  of  them  had  shared  their  stories  intimately  with  one  another  but  they  had  a  rough  idea  of  each  others'  past  and  being  the  private  individuals  that  they  were, they  did  not  need  any  further  discussion  on  that  area. 

               It  wasn't  necessary  anyway. Peace  had  been  attained  and  the  pilots  were  slowly  finding  ways  to  mend  their  hearts. Even  though  they  could  not  erase  the  vague  traces  of  wounds  in  their  souls, they  had  found  ways  to  live  through  their  lives  day-by-day  in  a  world  so  new  to  them. For  the  first  time, Duo  was  actually  contented  with  what  he  had  achieved  so  far  yet  he  was  still  striving  to  achieve  his  dream, one  that  he  had  recently  discovered  and  currently  working  on.

               A  soft  rap  on  the  door  broke  his  random  train  of  thoughts. "Come  in," Duo  uttered  wearily  as  he  looked  up. The  door  opened  to  reveal  an  Asian  man  in  his  early  twenties. Duo  grinned  as  Wufei  entered  his  office  but  his  smile  wasn't  as  bright  as  it  used  to  be  for  traces  of  exhaustion  and  fatigue  were  still  evident  in  his  features.

               "I  see  you're  back  from  your  trip," Duo  said  as  soon  as  Wufei  took  a  seat  across  from  the  braided  man. "And  since  you're  still  alive, I  assume  the  mission  was  successful."

               Wufei  smirked. "When  has  it  never?" he  replied, ignoring  the  previous  remark. "Better  than  yours, at  least." Duo  arched  an  eyebrow, studying  the  Chinese  man's  scrutiny  but  Wufei  continued  before  Duo  could  interject, "You  look  tired, Maxwell. Unusually  tired. What's  the  matter? Can't  handle  the  office  work?"

               Duo  chuckled, waving  off  his  friend's  concern  and  unprovoked  remark. He  should  have  known  Wufei  was  that  observant. "I  wouldn't  say  tired, really…I  mean, yeah, work  is  tough, even  if  it's  in  the  office  but  that's  not  it…"

               "Then, what's  the  problem?"

               Duo  shrugged, his  gaze  shifted  to  the  window  behind  him. His  eyes  were  fixed  at  the  busy  city  below  but  his  mind  was  clearly  elsewhere. "Bored."

               Wufei  frowned  at  Duo, partly  surprised  and  amused. He  had  never  heard  Duo  using  that  term  to  describe  anything  before, since  the  'God  of  Death's'  mischievous  behavior  and  laughter  were  as  infectious  as  a  plague. Even  the  other  members  of  the  HQ  were  getting  accustomed  to  Duo's  pranks  and  after  a  year  enduring  his  god-awful  pranks, they  were  finally  able  to  laugh  at  themselves  despite  the  humiliation. Wufei  was  about  to  say  something  when  an  unusual  object  that  was  hardly  seen  in  an  office  caught  his  eye.  His  frown  deepened  when  he grabbed  a  particular  magazine  and  read  the  title. 

               At  that  moment, Duo  turned  back  to  face  his  friend  and  watched  Wufei's  features  with  amusement  as  the  Chinese  man  studied  the  magazine. "Are  you  quitting?" Wufei  inquired, softer  than  he  intended. 

               Duo  couldn't  perceive  whether  it  was  disappointment  or  shock  in  Wufei's  tone  for  his  voice  was  weaker  than  his  usual  strong  and  confident  one. Yet  Duo  allowed  himself  to  bask  in  the  possible  fact  that  Wufei  actually  wanted  him  to  stay. It  was  difficult  enough  to  read  the  Chinese's  man  expression, let  alone  his  feelings  so  this  small  evident  was  a  quite  a  surprise.

               "No," Duo  answered  casually, placing  his  hands  behind  his  head. "What  makes  you  think  that?" When  Wufei  held  up  the  magazine, Duo  replied  with  a  shrug, "I  just  bought  that  this  morning. What, can't  a  guy  read  a  magazine  while  his  on  duty?"

               "For  you, not  when  it  doesn't  involve  women," Wufei  countered, eyeing  his  friend  curiously. "Since  when  do  you  buy  'Naturistic'? You  don't  even  like  trees. Heck, you  don't  even  support  the  campaigns  that  protect  the  trees."

               Duo  smiled  sheepishly. "The  beauty  of  Mother  Nature  has  kept  me  company  and  those  hot  models  kept  me  entertain  for  many  dreaded  hours." As  Wufei  arched  an  eyebrow  in  amusement, Duo  sighed  and  continued, "Alright, they  run  out  a  copy  of  FHM  so  I  bought  that  on  impulse  instead. I  can't  remember  why  but  anyway, I  was  surprise  to  find  the  articles  so  intriguing  and  it  kept  me  thinking  for  a  long  time. Suddenly  out  of  nowhere, this  brilliant  idea  just  pop  into  my  head  and  that's  when  I  realize  what  I  want  in  my  life, what  I  want  my  future  to  be  like, what  I  want  to  be…."

               "Since  I  don't  suppose  it's  possible  that  you  want  to  become  a  tree, I'm  guessing  a  model?" Wufei  asked, disgusted  at  the  thought  of  Duo  baring  his  chest  in  a  ridiculous  pose. "You  do  realize  you'll  put  your  identity  as  a  Preventer  at  risk  by  this  kind  of  exposure  and  unwanted  media  attention."

               Duo  threw  his  head  back  and  laughed  heartily. "No, of  course  not! I  mean, I  know  I  have  the  bod  for  it  but  I  don't  think  my  reputation  as  a  former  Gundam  pilot  would  qualify  for  that." Suddenly, Duo's  eyes  twinkled  as  he  looked  wistfully  at  the  former  Shenglong  pilot. "But  that's  nice  of  you  to  envision  my  popularity  so  soon. You  really  think  I'll  make  it  one  day?"

               "Coming  back  to  the  point," Wufei  stated  in  annoyance. "So  what  you're  saying  now…you  want  to  be…." He  hesitated, as  though  reassuring  himself  of  the  unexpected  discovery. "A  photographer?"

               Duo  winked  as  he  exclaimed  excitedly, "You  got  that  right, I  even  bought  the  equipments  and  books  about  them. I  haven't  really  test  the  camera, though  because  with  all  the  work  in  the  HQ, I  hardly  find  the  time  to  snap  some  shots  or  even  go  through  the  manual…Hey, I  know! Why  don't  you  and  I  go  to  the  park  tomorrow  to  take  a  few  pictures? Maybe  we  can  test  out  on  a  few…"

               "Hold  it," Wufei  interrupted, unable  to  digest  the  series  of  information  packed  into  his  head. "Are  you  serious  about  this? You're  quitting?"

               "No," Duo  insisted  softly  after  a  moment  to  ensure  his  friend  of  his  own  seriousness  on  that  matter. "I  told  you, I'm  not. This  is  not  even  a  part-time  thing. It's  more  of  a  new  hobby  I  just  found  but  if  I  can  make  a  living  out  of  it, that'll  be  great."

               "Still," Wufei  muttered, looking  unconvinced. "Do  I  get  an  explanation  for  this  sudden  change  of  interest? This  photographer  thing…it's  not  like  you  at  all."

               Duo  remained  silent  for  awhile, looking  deep  in  thought. Wufei  could  sense  Duo's  slight  discomfort  at  the  question  and  couldn't  help  wondering  if  he  had  probed  a  little  deeper  than  Duo  had  liked. As  though  sensing  Wufei's  own  discomfort  at  the  silence, Duo  quickly  smile  in  assurance  at  Wufei  and  spoke  softly  to  him, "I  just  don't  feel  like  doing  this  for  the  rest  of  my  life. Haven't  we  done  that  enough?"

               Wufei  studied  Duo's  expression, noting  the  unusual  grim  tone  from  his  comrade. Duo  might  be  one  of  the  most  capable  men  in  the  HQ  but  he  was  also  the  most  least  person  to  take  up  a  mission  or  an  assignment    without  the  proper  motivation. Unlike  him  and  Heero, Duo  only  took  up  the  job  for  the  money  and  from  the  very  beginning, Wufei  could  sense  Duo's  meager  interest  when  it  came  to  missions, though  he  did  quite  a  splendid  job  once  he  was  assigned  to  it. Everyone  knew  it  was  only  a  matter  of  time  before  Duo  resigned  his  current  job  and  took  up  the  ones  with  better  prospect  for  his  future. 

               "I  suppose," Wufei  murmured  thoughtfully. "Well, if  that's  what  you  want, no  one's  going  to  stop  you  from  doing  it. Just  as  long  as  you  don't  go  overboard  with  it  like  the  last  time  Quatre  entrusted  you  with  his  camera."

               "You  mean  during  last  Christmas  where  I  snap  shots  of  you  and  Sally  stealing  kisses  under  the  mistletoe  and  pasted  those  pictures  on  the  office  board?" Duo  quipped, his  grin  widened  as  that  memory. Wufei  glared  at  him  but  after  years  of  receiving  the  same  look  from  him, Heero  and  sometimes  Trowa, it  did  very  little  effect  to  intimidate  the  braided  man. "Come  on, you  guys  look  sweet  in  that  picture. And  you  gotta  admit, I  got  a  good  angle  on  those  shots. Even  Trowa  was  impressed…"

               "One  more  prank  like  that  and  I'll  shove  the  camera  so  far  up  your  butt, you  wouldn't  be  able  to  feel  it," Wufei  said, almost  menacingly. His  face  had  grown  red  all  of  a  sudden  and  it  seemed  clear  to  Duo  that  his  friend  was  still  sore  over  the  humiliation. At  least  Sally  was  able  to  joke  about  it  after  a  couple  of  months. 

               "Yea, yea, I  heard  that  line  before," Duo  exclaimed  casually  with  a  wave. "So  you're  coming  with  me  to  the  park  tomorrow, right?"

"Alright, that's  it  for  today!" the  coach  exclaimed  after  blowing  the  whistle  to  signify  the  end  of  the  game. "Good  work, girls!"

               The  volleyball  players  immediately  parted  from  the  court  to  their  own  resting  place  in  the  hall  to  quench  their  thirst. Some  of  them  chatted  excitedly  about  the  latest  rumors  going  on  around  school  while  the  others  merely  trying  to  catch  their  breath  from  the  previous  game. Most  of  them  were  spread  in  clusters, gathering  in  their  own  circle  of  friends.

               The  coach  suddenly  came  up  behind  a  particular  group  of  girls, prompting  their  immediate  attention. "That's  a  great  spike  you  just  did, Aino," he  complimented  to  one  of  the  girls. "Keep  it  up  and  you'll  represent  our  school  in  the  school  championship  tournament  next  month."

               The  particular  girl's  face  broke  into  a  smile  as  her  other  friends  congratulated  her  with  a  small  pat  on  her  back  and  soft  whisperings. 

               "Arigato, Sensei!" the  girl  exclaimed  happily  and  gave  him  her  trademark  victory  sign. "Daijobu, with  Aino  Minako  around, no  one  will  be  able  to  defeat  our  team!"

               When  the  coach  left, her  group  began  to  chat  excitedly  about  the  upcoming  tournament. The  girl, Aino  Minako  was  the  most  excited  one  in  the  group. Among  the  teenagers  gathered  in  the  gym, she  stood  out  from  the  rest, physically  and  mentally. Her  shining  golden  hair  was  a  luxurious  tumble  over  her  shoulder  and  back, left  unbound  as  it  normally  was  and  framed  a  face  of  striking, flawless  beauty. Her  molded  cheekbones  were  slightly  high, her  creamy  skin  glowing  with  health  and  her  lips  soft  and  generous. But  her  eyes  were  her  most  striking  feature. Beneath  delicately  winged  eyebrows, long, curly  lashes  fringed  eyes  that  were  a  vivid, startling  color  of  blue. Wonderfully  expressive  eyes  that  sparkled  like  diamonds  when  she  was  happy  or  darkened  when  she  was  pensive. With  her  sweet  and  innocent  demeanor  and  her  bubbly  personality, it  was  no  wonder  she  had  managed  to  catch  the  eye  of  teenage  boys  from  all  around. Her  exuberant  nature  intrigued  them  and  her  laughter  and  smiles  were  infectious  to  those  surrounding  her.

               "Ne, Minako, you'll  be  chosen  to  go  to  the  tournament  this  time  for  sure," one  of  the  girls, Ikiko  said  as  they  were  walking  back  to  the  changing  room. 

               Minako  beamed  proudly  but  not  wanting  to  seem  arrogant  or  over  confident, she  replied  in  a  casual  tone, "I  hope  so, too, but  the  competition's  fierce. Everyone  wants  to  be  in  the  team."

               "Daijobu, we  know  you'll  be  selected," Rin  assured  her. "Didn't  you  hear  what  Takigawa-Sensei  said? He  has  faith  in  you."

               Minako  laughed. "That's  not  what  he  said."

               "Well, that's  what  it  sounded  to  me," Rin  answered  with  a  shrug.

               "We  all  have  faith  in  you," Ikiko  added, smiling  warmly  at  her  friend  as  she  placed  a  hand  on  Minako's  shoulder  in  a  manner  to  support. "I'm  actually  glad, though  that  you're  taking  volleyball  more  seriously  than  that  idol  thing  you've  been  obsessing  on  for  years…"

               Minako's  smile  was  still  evident  in  her  features  and  she  merely  shrugged  her  shoulders  in  reply, not  bothering  to  offer  any  explanation  but  unknown  to  her  friends, her  eyes  had  instantly  grew  dimmed  at  that  statement. She  could  feel  the  familiar  ache  and  longing  in  her  heart  as  she  recalled  back  her  dream, now  lost  in  a  river  of  illusions  and  false  securities. 

               "Hey, yeah," Rin  intruded, realization  dawned  across  her  features. "Whatever  happen  to  that  anyway? You  didn't  mention  anything  about  it  since  school  reopens. If  I  recall  correctly, you  were  in  the  middle  of  an  audition  when  news  about  the  war  broke  out. Did  it  went  well?"

               Minako  hesitated  as  a  pang  of  guilt  washed  over  her, wishing  her  friends  hadn't  brought  that  subject  up. "I  didn't  get  the  part," she  muttered  softly  but  casually  enough  so  that  her  friends  would  misinterpret  her  weak  tone  for  mere  disappointment. "It  wouldn't  have  work  out  anyway. What, with  the  war  and  everything. It's  better  that  I  quit  now  and  focus  on  the  more  important  things  that  actually  benefits  me." Noticing  her  friends'  mixture  of  dubious and  concern  glances, Minako  was  hastened  to  continue, "Come  on, I've  been  going  for  auditions  for  years  and  barely  have  enough  part  to  secure  a  part-time  job  as  an  actress, let  alone  a  singer. And  you  guys  knew  I  wouldn't  make  it  anyway…"

"We  never  said  that…" Ikiko  argued  weakly, glancing  at  Rin  desperately  to  fill  in  her  sentence. 

"It  doesn't  matter," Minako  insisted, struggling  to  suppress  the  tremble  in  her  voice  and  the  tears  from  spilling. "I'm  getting  tired  of  all  the  rejections  and  failures. I'm  just  not  cut  out  to  be  a  singer. But  it's  not  really  a  bad  thing. At  least  now  I  can  concentrate  on  volleyball  and  maybe  one  day, become  a  famous  star  player  for  the  country  or  something." She  flashed  them  a  bright  smile, though  she  lacked  the  enthusiasm  in  her  speech.  
               "So  you're…giving  your  dream  up  for  this?" Rin  asked  carefully.

Minako  nodded  in  affirmative, her  eyes  brimming  with  unshed  tears. "Yep."

"Wufei, I  can't  help  but  think  you're  partly  responsible  for  this  miserable  ordeal  I'm  forced  to  endure," Heero  muttered  with  a  scowl. "Tell  me  again  why  do  you  insist  on  dragging  me  into  your  little  outing  today? And  on  a  very, relaxing  Sunday  at  that?"

Even  though  it  was  a  weekend  and  his  day-off  from  work, he  still  did  not  appreciate  his  comrades  knocking  bright  early  on  his  door  and  taking  advantage  of  his  sleepiness  to  drag  him  all  the  way  to  the  park, only  to  have  him  stand  in  ridiculously  long  hours  while  'assisting'  Duo  on  selecting  the  most  appropriate  spot  to  capture  on  film. 

               When  Wufei  came  knocking  furiously  on  his  door  and  muttering  something  about  an  urgent  mission  that  morning, Heero  had  accepted  it  without  a  word  since  it  was  normal  for  the  HQ  to  contact  their  members, directly  or  indirectly  at  unreasonable  hours  to  complete  a  mission. However, it  just  so  happened  he  had  a  rough  time  at  the  office  the  night  before  and  had  slept  for  barely  two  hours  when  his  friends  came  banging  on  his  door, waking  up  half  of  his  neighbors  in  the  process. He  had  been  extremely  exhausted  and  groggy  that  he  had  missed  all  the  obvious  evidence  of  faulty  information  being  fed  on  him  by  Duo  while  they  were  in  the  car. 

               When  they  reached  the  park  and  after  an  hour  of  standing  and  'studying'  the  same  spot  with  an  agitated  Wufei  while  Duo  kept  fiddling  with  his  camera  and  snapping  the  view  at  various  angle, only  he  realized  that  he  had  been  conned  into  Duo's  regular  outing. Or  some  unusual  activities  that  he  normally  got  the  pilots  indulged  in  every  week. Heero  was  blaming  his  ridiculous  predicament  on  Wufei  but  due  to  his  exhaustion  that  still  hadn't  wore  out  since  the  night, he  didn't  have  much  energy  to  argue. Besides, the  pilots  got  conned  regularly  every  week  so  it  was  common  for  them  to  bring  the  others  down  as  well.

"I  don't  want  to  be  the  only  idiot  who  was  forced  to  participate  in  this  ordeal," Wufei  muttered. He  had  his  back  against  a  tree  nearby, his  eyes  closed  and  his  arms  crossed  in  a  form  of  meditation. 

               Heero  cast  a  glare  at  the  Chinese  man  and  said  harshly, "Why  didn't  you  take  Trowa  or  Quatre  instead? You  and  I  were  at  the  office  until  six  this  morning  and  somehow  you  have  to  drag  me  into  this?!" It  was  not  like  Heero  to  complain  over  such  a  tenuous  matter  but  he  couldn't  help  it. He  needed  his  rest  and  this  was  definitely  not  what  he  had  planned  to  start  his  weekend. And  he  would  have  walked  out  on  them  this  instant  if  Duo  hadn't  hid  his  car  keys  and  the  fact  that  they  were  quite  a  distant  away  from  his  apartment.

               "Trowa's  traveling  with  the  circus  troupe  and  won't  be  back  till  next  month. And  it  would  be  unfair  to  drag  Quatre  around  considering  he  have  more  important  matters  to  attend  to."

               "You're  talking  about  unfair?" Heero  asked  incredulously, his  outburst  prompting  Wufei's  eyes  to  open. 

               "Look, I  don't  want  to  go  through  this  anymore  than  you  do," Wufei  replied  softly  and  patiently, surprising  Heero. Then  his  voice  rose  to  a  slightly  higher  octave, "But  that  poor  excuse  of  a  god  was  already  up  by  the  time  I  reach  home  and  he  refuse  to  leave  until  I  agree  to  this  little  outing! So, if  you  think  for  one  minute  I  am  enjoying  every  single  moment  of  this  torturous…."

               "Hey, keep  it  down  back  there!" Duo  exclaimed  ahead  of  them, completely  oblivious  to  the  glares  directed  from  his  friends. "I  can't  concentrate  with  all  the  yelling. Some  help  you  guys  are." He  paused  to  snap  another  shot  of  a  particular  scenery  in  the  distant  across  from  them. "Alright, that's  good. Now  let's  see  if  we  can  find  a  spot  that  has  it  all, know  what  I  mean? I  need  to  get  a  picture  that  can  summarize  summer  at  its  best. You  know, children  playing, adults  laughing, flowers  blooming, the  works." Duo's  eyes  darted  from  one  corner  to  another  until  it  fixed  at  the  far  end  of  the  park  where  most  of  its  visitors  occupied  in  clusters  of  families  and  children. A  group  of  girls  were  indulged  in  an  intense  game  of  volleyball  nearby, their  excited  cries  were  clearly  heard  from  a  distant. "Oh, how  about  those  crowd  over  there? They  have  nice  trees  there  for  a  background."

               Heero  was  clenching  and  unclenching  his  fists  while  mentally  counting  to  ten  but  that  method  appeared  ineffective  at  this  moment. Wufei  was  cursing  under  his  breath  and  he, too  appeared  ready  to  jump  at  the  next  opportunity  to  kill  the  braided  man.

               "I've  got  a  better  suggestion," Heero  muttered  through  gritted  teeth. "How  about  your  face  in  a  bloody  pulp  and  two  guns  trained  right  at  your  throat? With  those  nice  trees  for  a  background."

               Duo  chuckled  in  amusement, well  aware  of  his  friends'  annoyance  at  his  dalliance. "That  doesn't  summarize  summer."

               "That's  what  you  always  get  yourself  into  every  summer." 

               As  soon  as  the  ball  hit  the  pavement  sharply, the  girls  let  out  a  squeal, cheering  their  victory  and  slapping  each  other  high  fives. Instead  of  moaning  their  defeat, their  opponents  congratulated  them  earnestly, holding  no  grudge  or  displaying  the  slightest  of  resentment. It  was  expected, though  because  they  were  schoolmates. Every  Sunday  the  girls  would  get  together  for  a  short  practice  to  exercise  and  sharpened  their  skills  for  the  upcoming  tournaments. However, this  time  the  girls  took  longer  than  usual  to  defeat  their  own  schoolmates, which  displayed  evidence  of  trained  players  and  their  skills. 

               "Yes!" one  brunette  girl  exclaimed  after  quenching  her  thirst. "At  this  rate  we'll  be  able  to  defeat  our  rivals  for  sure!"

               "No  doubt  about  it," another  girl  retorted, equally  enthusiastic  at  that  thought. "All  we  need  to  do  now  is  work  out  more  strategies  and  more  practice."

               At  that  point, their  conversations  grew  excited  as  their  enthusiasm  soared. Minako  drew  in  a  steady  breath  as  she  went  over  to  her  resting  place, waiting  patiently  for  her  breath  to  regain  its  normal  rhythm. She  plopped  down  on  the  ground  and  quietly  drained  her  bottle  while  listening  half-heartedly  to  her  friends'  mixed  voices. She  felt  unusually  exhausted  and  her  limbs  ached  while  the  blood  rushing  through  her  temple  began  to  throb. Frowning  at  her  recklessness  for  overexerting  herself  for  a  mere  practice, she  decided  to  cancel  lunch  with  her  friends  and  head  back  home  instead  to  regain  her  strength. 

                After  declining  their  offer  for  lunch  and  excusing  herself, Minako  slipped  on  her  sweats  over  her  school  gym  shorts  and  left  the  area. As  she  was  walking  down  the  path, she  watched  silently  as  children  trotted  past  her, seemingly  to  be  chasing  one  another  in  a  familiar  childhood  game. Families  stood  at  the  other  side, enjoying  their  picnic  and  mere  discussion  of  the  weather  and  other  pleasant  matters. Several  individuals  were  seen  happily  walking  their  dogs  and  lovers  were  quietly  snuggling  at  the  corner, half-hidden  by  the  trees  or  bushes. 

               Everything  was  certainly  back  to  the  way  it  was  before  the  war, Minako  thought  solemnly, unable  to  suppress  the  bitterness  that  began  to  emerge  deep  inside. All  the  pristine  beauty  of  nature, the  joyful  sounds  of  people's  laughter, the  sights  of  children  playing  and  teenagers  fooling  around, all  those  things  she  used  to  enjoy  and  appreciate  that  had  any  inkling  with  peace  were  no  more  than  a  painful  reminder  of  how  things  used  to  be  back  then  before  the  war. Now  those  sights  only  ached  her, seemingly  to  mock  her  at  every  turn  and  threatening  her  at  the  brink  of  sanity. 

Every  night  she  was  haunted  by  the  phantom  ghost  of  a  teenage  boy  with  a  tender  smile  that  promised   happiness  and  eyes  that  radiated  with  hope, reassuring  her  with  securities. His  charming  features  were  a  small  inkling  of  his  many  gifts  but  many  did  not  know  how  to  appreciate  his  skills, blinded  by  the  beauty  of  his  face  and  thus, failed  to  discover  the  withering  soul  that  craved  for  understanding  and  passionately  fought  for  peace. 

His  kind  words  echoed  in  her  ears  and  his  handsome  face  settled  in  her  mind, spinning  wildly  in  mockery  to  force  her  emotions  to  emerge. She  flinched  at  the  memories  as  they  came  pouring  into  her  mind  and  playing  them  over  and  over  like  a  waltz, acknowledging  the  aching  loneliness  and  pain  with  a  muffled  sob. She  closed  her  eyes  when  she  felt  tears  threatening  to  spill, all  the  while  quickening  her  pace.

"Okay, okay, just  shut  up  and  let  me  take  this  one  last  picture  and…HEY!"

That  unexpected  cry  brought  her  back  to  reality, prompting  her  eyes  to  snap  opened  and  her  tracks  stopped  abruptly  as  she  glanced  around, in  time  to  see  a  flash  of  lights  blinding  her  eyes  momentarily.


	3. Chaper two

ONE  SWEET  DAY 

By          :               angelofvenus_l3

AN  :  By  the  way, I  forgot  to  mention, the  Senshi  doesn't  exist  in  this  fic  so  basically, the  G-boys  and  Minako  stand  alone. This  chapter  is  moving  a  little  slow  but  it  will  definitely  pick  up  later  on. Thank  you  for  all  your  reviews  and  supports. Hope  you  all  enjoy  this  chapter  as  much  as  the  rest^^

                                                                           **CHAPTER  TWO**

During  the  first  few  hours, Duo  thought  he  could  bear  with  his  friends'  endless  complaints  and  strings  of  death  threats  but  after  the  next  few  hours, he  began  to  get  annoyed, wondering  briefly  if  his  own  habit  had  rubbed  in  on  them. His  concentration  would  stray  every  time  Wufei  remarked  on  his  lack  of  skills  in  handling  the  camera  while  Heero  promised  him  torturous, not  to  mention, violent  methods  if  he  did  not  cut  their  trip  short. It  did  very  little  effect  on  him, though  but  it  was  still  a  distraction.

               "Okay, okay," Duo  relented  after  Heero  threatened  him  for  the  twenty  sixth  time. "Just  shut  up  and  let  me  take  this  one  last  picture  and…HEY!"

               Duo  did  not  see  the  girl  walking  over  to  him  until  the  very  last  minute  when  the  flash  when  off, capturing  her  image  at  the  exact  moment  when  she  glanced  at  him. A  gasp  tore  her  lips  when  their  eyes  met  before  she  sheepishly  tore  her  gaze  to  glance  briefly  behind  her  at  the  scenery  where  Duo  was  suppose  to  capture  on  film. 

Duo  could  have  sworn  there  were  tears  in  her  eyes  but  he  wasn't  too  sure  since  she  had  broke  their  gazes  too  quickly  for  him  to  confirm. When  she  looked  back  at  him  apologetically  for  ruining  his  film, her  eyes  held  no  more  than  glimmers  of  regret. 

               "Gomen  nasai," she  apologized, shifting  uncomfortably  when  she  noticed  Duo's  other  less  friendly  companions  who  were  currently  eyeing  her. "I'm  sorry, I  didn't  see  you.."

               "No, don't  worry  about  it," Duo  replied, smiling in  reassurance. 

There  was  something  about  her  that  tugged  his  heart. He  couldn't  decide  what  but  he  was  quite  certain  he  was  attracted  to  her. When  their  gazes  met  a  moment  ago, he  was  transfixed  by  them  as  they  held  him  in  place, luring  him  and  giving  him  a  brief  glimpse  of  temptation  that  such  beauty  could  stir. She  was  gorgeous  and  her  figure  definitely  complimented  her  features. Judging  from  her  plain  attire  and  the  badge  on  her  sweats, he  could  tell  she  was  a  high  school  student  and  he  recognized  the  prestigious  school  she  studied  in. 

It  was  a  shame  though  because  he  would  have  asked  her  number  if  she  wasn't  so  young  for  him. 

The  girl  gave  him  a  small  smile  and  an  apologetic  nod  before  walking  away. Duo  couldn't  help  eyeing  her  back  as  she  walked  daintily  ahead, fully  aware  of  the  gentle  swaying  of  her  hips  and  her  long, slender  legs. 

"If  you're  quite  finish  here, perhaps  we  can  start  to  leave," Wufei  stated  in  annoyance  after  clearing  his  throat.

Duo  chuckled  as  he  reluctantly  forced  his  gaze  away  and  began  to  pack  his  things. 

               Minako  didn't  stop  her  tracks  as  she  glanced  briefly  to  the  young  man  who  had  momentarily  blinded  her. He  was  laughing  at  something  his  friend  had  said  and  had  his  back  to  her, which  was  enough  for  her  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  his  long, braided  chestnut  colored  hair. She  thought  it  was  quite  an  unusual  hairdo  for  a  man  yet  somehow  it  seemed  to  suit  him  very  well. But  that  was  all  that  caught  her  attention  about  him. Although  he  did  stand  out  among  his  other  two  friends  who  seemed  as  though  they  had  never  smiled  in  years. 

               Her  eyes  drifted  to  the  side, particularly  at  the  scenery  where  the  young  man  had  wanted  to  snap. She  might  not  know  much  about  photography  but  she  could  tell  he  expertise  in  that  field. She  remembered  a  small  picture  of  that  same  view  being  taken  years  ago  before  it  was  transferred  onto  a  canvas, its  former  beauty  was  carefully  etched  and  preserved  in  its  original  state. It  was  amazing  how  little  effect  the  war  had  on  it, though  the  cherry  blossoms  that  took  up  half  of  the  scenery  did  not  blossom  as  much  as  it  used  to  due  to  the  excessive  amount  of  trees  being  destroyed. And  that  particular  canvas  was  currently  hung  on  her  bedroom  wall. A  gift  from  a  very  special  someone  who  taught  her  the  meaning  of  peace  and  true  beauty.

Her  hand  went  swiftly  to  the  necklace  around  her  delicate  neck  and  grasped  the  tiny  pendant. Her  slender  fingers  gently  stroked  and  caressed  the  rose  shaped  pendant, hoping  to  find  some  form  of  security  and  reassurance  but  instead, she  was  granted  with  a  pang  of  longing  for  someone  who  wasn't  there  and  would  never  be  there. Her  heart  ached  painfully  at  that  revelation, almost  wracking  a  sob  from  her  carefully  masked  expression. She  clutched  the  pendant  even  harder  in  a  manner  to  control  her  tears, struggling  violently  to  suppress  all  urges  to  express  her  pain  and  break  down  in  the  middle  of  the  park. Forcing  herself  to  believe  all  the  mental  encouragements  and  clinging  on  to  the  slender  piece  of  hope  for  the  future, she  crushed  her  stormy  emotions  beneath  her  nonchalant  and  carefree  nature  as  her  fingers  slowly  let  go  of  the  pendant, wishing  if  only  her  heart  could  let  go  of  the  memories  just  as  easily. 

               After  dinner  that  night, Duo  went   to  his  old  store  room  which  he  had  recently  reconstructed. He  had  earlier  cleared  up  everything  in  there  to  make  room  for  his  equipments  needed  to  develop  a  film. It  didn't  take  him  long  to  get  accustomed  to  the  process  and  before  the  hour  was  over  he  had  managed  to  get  most  of  his  photos  developed. 

               When  he  lifted  the  last  negative  picture  from  the  basin  to  study  it, he  recognized  the  girl  earlier  and  not  only  was  he  impressed  with  the  accuracy  of  the  angle  but  he  was  also  transfixed  by  her  beauty. Even  though  the  lights  were  very  dim, he  could  make  out  her  face  clearly, recalling  the  brief  moment  when  his  heart  almost  race  at  the  sight  of  her. Since  this  evening, he  hadn't  been  thinking  about  her  at  all  but  now, he  wasn't  sure  if  he  could  get  her  out  of  his  mind  that  easily. Her  innocent  demeanor  suited  her  high  school  profile  and  with  her  beauty, she  would  definitely  make  a  successfully  model  if  she  decided  to  pursue  that  career  road. She  would  appear  to  be  someone  who  had  it  all  and  most  likely  labeled  as  'Miss  Perfect'  or  'Miss  Popular'  but  when  he  studied  her  eyes, he  dismissed  that  thought  almost  immediately.

               There  were  no  evident  of  tears  but  those  eyes  lacked  sparkles  that  contributed  to  her  radiant  face. They  were  dimmed, in  dazed  and  almost  lifeless. Obviously  she  had  been  absorbed  in  her  own  thoughts  to  realize  where  she  was  even  walking. He  felt  a  little  saddened  at  that  revelation, wondering  what  or  who  could  have  hurt  someone  as  delicate  as  she. For  a  former  pilot  who  had  gone  through  more  than  his  share  of  sorrows, he  should  know  that  pain  came  in  different  forms  and  concealed  in  various  ways. It  seemed  almost  obvious  she  had  a  dark  past  and  he  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  it. 

               Then  again, it  couldn't  be  more  than  a  mere  relationship  crisis  or  school  related  matters  that  concerned  her, he  decided  swiftly  as  he  hung  the  picture  for  it  to  dry. He  could  come  up  with  a  thousand  possibilities  for  her  ordeal  and  another  thousand  that  summarized  her  character  or  personality  but  it  wouldn't  change  that  fact  that  it  was  not  his  problem. He  hardly  knew  her, much  less  develop  any  special  feelings  for  her  other  than  plain  attraction. So  whatever  feelings  he  harbored  for  her  was  definitely  inappropriate. 

               Besides, he  didn't  think  he  would  get  to  find  out  about  her  anyway, much  less  her  problems.

Mother,

                              Things  has  been  wonderful  here, as  always. I'm  getting  pretty  busy  though, which  explains  why  I haven't  reply  in  weeks. You've  probably  have  guessed, I've  been  chosen  to  lead  the  team  in  the  school  championship  tournament  this  week. I'm  so  excited. The  trainings  and  practices  have  better  pay  off. I've  been  working  so  hard  for  it, I've  no  doubt  we're  to  win  for  sure. 

                              Anyway, send  daddy  my  regards. I'll  see  you  both  in  time  for  Christmas.

               Minako   studied  the  computer  screen  thoughtfully, frowning  at  the  simplicity  and  somewhat  lack  of  info  regarding  her  current  status. There  was  nothing  much  to  tell  anyway, considering  her  main  goal  right  now  was  to  accomplish  as  much  as  she  could  in  volleyball  and  her  parents  already  knew  that. From  their  previous  emails, she  could  detect  they  were  obviously  relief  that  she  had  overgrown  her  obsession  with  idols. Seeing  as  they  came  from  a  very  prestigious  and  wealthy  family, they  certainly  couldn't  allow  their  only  heir  to  pursue  such  career  road  that  would  only  lead  her  in  circles. She  was  also  almost  certain  that  they  merely  assumed  her  current  passion  with  volleyball  was  nothing  more  than  a  hobby  and  she  would  overgrown  that, too. 

               As  much  as  she  hated  to  admit  it, she  missed  them  dearly. Their  weekly  emails  and  phone  calls   hadn't  been  able  to  replace  her  longing  for  their  company  so  eventually  she  stopped  wishing  and  hoping  they  would  drop  by. Because, frankly, they  never  did  without  informing  her  first  which  was  rare  enough. They  had  been  too  absorbed  in  their  own  career  and  assignments  which  unable  them  to  fulfill  their  responsibility  as  her  guardians. Hence, they  sent  her  to  live  with  her  aunt  on  Earth  who  eventually  forfeit  that  trust  to  concentrate  on  her  own  life, leaving  Minako  to  fence  off  on  her  own. Back  then, her  parents  would  visit  her  constantly  to  ensure  her  well  being  was  equipped  and  taken  care  of  but  eventually, their  visits  evolved  into  weekly  emails, allowances  and  monthly  phone  calls. Her  loneliness  intensified especially  on  her  birthdays  where  she  would  receive  a  birthday  card  and  packaged  gifts  that  hardly  symbolized  their  affections. Other  special  occasions  were  spent  on  Earth  with  her  aunt  and  uncle  who  regarded  her  as  an  'obligation', which  she  started  to  assume  that  was  exactly  what  her  parents  thought  of  her. 

               Nevertheless, she  had  learned  to  lean  on  her  friends'  shoulders  when  she  needed  their  support  and  although  she  wasn't  able  to  trust  them  completely  for  emotional  support, they  were  always  assuring  her  of  her  own  capabilities, which  she  needed  from  time  to  time  to  remind  her  how  strong  she  actually  was. It  was  the  simple  pleasure  of  being  surrounded  by  true  friends  that  kept  her  spirit  alive  and  going. 

               "Minako?"

               The  sudden  mention  of  her  name  and  combined  with  the  soft  tap  on  her  shoulder  jerked  her  thoughts  to  reality  and  Minako  turned, smiling  sheepishly  when  she  saw  Rin, Ikiko  and  several  of  her  friends  gathered  around  her  desk. 

               "N-nani?" she  murmured  halfheartedly, her  mind  still  a  little  distracted  as  she  quickly  turned  off  the  computer.

               "Nani?" Ikiko  echoed  incredulously  with  a  laugh. "Minako, school's  over, let's  go. Didn't  you  hear  the  bell  ring?"

               "I  was  preoccupied  with  the  assignments…" Minako  answered  half  truthfully  as  she  rose  to  her  feet  and  grabbed  her  books.

               "Was  that  an  email?" another  friend  inquired. "Who  is  it  for?"

               Minako  stiffen  at  the  question, feeling  the  bitterness  slowly  consuming  her. She  couldn't  blame  her  friends  for  being  ignorant  of  her  background  since  she  had  never  intent  on  explaining  to  them  how  she  was  forced  to  stay  where  she  was  right  now. But  still, she  couldn't  help  noting  the  resentment  she  felt  towards  the  topic  alone  so  she  could  only  manage  brush  it  off  before  the  feelings  triggered  her  tears.

               "No  one," she  muttered, dropping  her  gaze  to  the  floor  and  quickly  made  her  way  out  of  the  classroom, leaving  the  others  to  frown  in  puzzle  at  her  unusual  withdrawn  behavior. 

               "Duo, I  was  expecting  you!" the  elder  man  exclaimed  in  delight  as  soon  as  Duo  entered  the  store. 

The  braided  man  smirked  and  tilted  his  sunglass  in  reply. His  presence  alone  contrasted  to  the  bright, cheery  environment  of  the  jewelry  store. His  dark  and  bleak  attire  emitted  a  mysterious  aura  and  if  not  for  the  Preventers  jacket  he  had  draped  around  his  arm, he  would  appeared  as  conspicuous  as  a  convicted  felony  on  the  run. 

Several  of  his  workmates  had  commented  on  his  taste  with  such  bleak  outfit  but  Duo  had  never  took  their  remarks  seriously. He  was  very  comfortable  in  this  attire  and  it  was  convenient  for  him  if  he  was  on  duty. The  dark  and  bleak  color  allowed  him  to  blend  in  the  shadows  and  the  loose  fitting  outfit  allowed  him  to  move  smoothly  and  swiftly  without  constraint. The  outfit  was  also  the  only  thing  that  connected  him  to  his  past  and  he  planned  to  keep  it  that  way  because  it  reminded  him  so  much  of  Maxwell Church  where  he  had  spent  a  short  yet  meaningful  period  of  his  life.

               "It's  been  awhile  since  I've  seen  you  around  here," the  man  added  with  a  knowing  smile  behind  the  counter. 

               "Well, I'm  involve  in  a  different  kind  of  business  now  but  it's  nice  to  see  you, too, Dave," Duo  answered, sharing  a  conspiratorial  smile  with  the  man. Then, he  made  a  brief  inspection  of  the  area. "Love  what  you've  done  with  this  place. Beats  the  hell  out  of  your  last  store…"

               "Hardship  does  pay  off, you  know."

               Instead  of  approaching  the  man, Duo  simply  strolled  alongside  the  display  case, admiring  the  splendid  rows  of  silver  bracelets, his  eyes  darting  from  one  jewelry  to  another  behind  the  dark  shades. "Nice," he  commented  wryly. "You  sure  know  how  to  keep  your  customers  on  their  feet…"  Dave  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed. It  was  an  irony  because  aside  from  the  two  of  them, the  store  was  practically  empty. Duo  lifted  an  eyebrow  in  amusement  and  finally  took  off  his  shades. "I  think  you  have  better  luck  supplying  explosives…"

               Dave  shrugged, but  the  smile  still  visible  in  his  face. "That  was  then, people  are  battling  everywhere  so  of  course, I  make  more  money  that  way. But  now, I  think  I'd  prefer  a  peaceful  life  with  meager  salary  to  costly  battles  anytime. Besides, I  don't  want  to  keep  doing  that  forever."

               Duo  nodded  thoughtfully, a  meaningful  smile  tugged  the  corner  of  his  lips. "I  know  what  you  mean."

               "So  how's  peace  working  out  for  you? Hilde  told  me  you're  working  with  the  Preventers  now. How's  it?"

               "It's  fine," Duo  replied  noncommittally, his  gaze  still  lingering  at  the  new  arrival  of  silver  jewelries. "Boring, but  fine. Pays  well  and  I  don't  have  trouble  settling  some  debts." He  paused  and  pointed  to  a  particular  bracelet  that  summarized  a  tiny  silver  rectangle  plate  with  white  gold  chain  attached  to  it. "This  is  neat. Is  this  for  men?"

               Dave  strolled  over  to  Duo  and  scanned  the  item  in  question  through  the  display  glass. "Oh, that  works  for  both  male  and  female," Dave  answered. "It's  the  latest  trend  now, teenagers  everywhere  come  to  purchase  it  and  have  their  names  engrave. Wanna  see?"

               When  Duo  respond  with  a  positive  nod, Dave  unlocked  the  case  and  reached  for  the  chain. After  examining  it  briefly, he  held  it  to  Duo. Duo  took  it, gazing  at  it  with  open  admiration  and  placed  it  on  his  wrist  with  careless  ease.

               "Hey, be  gentle  with  that," Dave  warned, watching  in  uncertainty  as  Duo  clasped  the  chain  around  his  wrist. "It's  the  last  one  I  have  and  I  don't  want  any  scratches  unless  you're  planning  on  purchasing  it."

               "How  do  you  expect  me  to  buy  it  when  you're  using  that  kind  of  tone?" Duo  cried  indignantly. Then, he  frowned  slightly  as  he  examined  the  weight. "It's  a  little  heavy…."

               "The  plate  is  real  silver, what  do  you  think?" Dave  told  him, rolling  his  eyes. "So  you  wanna  get  that? I  bet  with  your  kind  of  salary, you  can  afford  a  few  accessories  now  and  then."

               "Nah," Duo  interjected  as  he  perched  on  the  stool. "I  was  never  one  to  fall  under  those  fashionable  male  categories…."

               "I  can  tell," Dave  said  under  his  breath, giving  Duo  a  thorough  appraisal  from head  to  toe. 

               Duo  acknowledged  his  friend's  remark  with  a  chuckle. "But  I'm  still  thinking  of  making  an  exception  for  this  trinket."

               "Well, don't  take  too  long, I'm  still  intending  on  selling  it," Dave  retorted  before  turning  away  from  the  display  case. "Now  I  better  get  the  things  Hilde  sent  you  for  so  that  you  may  run  along. My  regular  customers  should  be  pouring  in  anytime  now  and  I  don't  want  you  to  scare  them  away." With  that, Dave  disappeared  into  the  back  room. 

               As  Duo  waited  for  his  friend  to  return  with  Hilde's  package, the  bell  suddenly  jangled  as  the  door  swung  opened  and  in  came  a  flock  of  teenage  girls  in  their  school  uniforms  and  bags. Chattering  excitedly  among  themselves, they  began  to  scatter  into  different  corners  of  the  store, either  scanning  for  selected  jewelries  or  merely  browsing  for  some  new  arrivals. 

               Duo  instinctively  reached  for  his  sunglass  and  wore  it, concealing  a  smirk  while  his  eyes  wandered  aimlessly  to  the  display  case. Hands  folded  on  the  glass  case, he  leaned  forward, pretending  to  admire  the  jewelries  on  display. A  pair  of  girls  were  slowly  lingering  next  to  him  as  they  scanned  the  display  case, seemingly  searching  for  something. They  had  their  voices  lowered  in  murmurs  but  he  managed  to  catch  the  conversation  clear  enough.

               "…maybe  someone  else  bought  it  already," one  of  the  girls  said  absentmindedly. 

               "But  I  just  saw  it  yesterday  right  before  the  store  close," the  other  one  exclaimed  stubbornly. 

               "Just  get  him  something  else," the  first  one  retorted  with  an  exasperate  sigh. "For  god's  sake, Rin, you  don't  even  know  that  guy. Let's  just  forget  it. If  we  don't  hurry, we're  going  to  be  late  for  practice  and  Takigawa-sensei  won't  let  us  off  easy, not  when  the  competition's  a  week  away…."

               "But  Minako, this  is  much  more  important  than  the  competition," her  friend  protested  in  irritation. "You  never  have  any  crushes, so  you  wouldn't  know  how  I  feel. If  you  pay  as  much  attention  to  boys  as  you  do  to  volleyball, I'm  sure  you'll  end  up  with  someone  by  now. Yoji  mention  how  much  he  wanted  to  have  it  the  other  day  and  he  was  saving  his  money  to  buy  it. If  I  get  it  for  him  instead, he's  sure  to  notice  me  now. And  when  he  insist  on  paying  me  back, I  can  get  him  to  take  me  out  on  a  date. Then  I'll  give  him  a  chance  to  know  me  and  he'll  finally  realize  what  a  perfect  match  we  really  are…" 

By  then, the  girl  had  her  hands  clasped  together  in  a  hopeful  manner  and  she  was  staring  into  space  with  a  dreamy  look  in  her  eyes. Her  blonde  friend  sighed  helplessly  before  turning  away  to  look  at  some  other  jewelries  at  the  corner.

               Duo  chuckled  as  the  absurdity  of  the  conversation  struck  him. "Typical," he  blurted  out  unintentionally  under  his  breath. 

It  didn't  come  unnoticed, however  as  the  girl  known  as  Rin  suddenly  turned  and  regarded  him  with  an  annoyed  look. "Excuse  me?" she  demanded, perching  a  hand  on  her  hip. "Are  you  mocking  me?"

               Straightening  himself, Duo  tilted  his  head  to  meet  her  angry  gaze  and  smirked. Behind  his  dark  lenses, he  studied  the  brunette  girl  in  amusement. "No," he  said  nonchalantly  after  a  moment  of  inspection. "I  was  just…"

               "Just  drop  the  act, you  are  mocking  me," Rin  accused, her  eyes  staring  daggers  at  him. "Care  to  explain?"

               Duo  let  out  another  chuckle  and  shrugged. "Well, it  just  amaze  me  that…" he  paused, taking  a  moment  to  compile  his  choice  of  words. "…that  you  have  everything  all  figured  out."

               "And  your  point  exactly?"

               "Guys  are  not  that  easy  to  read," Duo  pointed  out  matter-of-factly. "And  it  should  occur  to  you  the  possibility  that  it  might  not  work  out  the  way  you  hope  for, especially  where  material  expense  is  involve  and  when  you're  coming  on  to  a  guy  who  hardly  notice  you. I  may  not  be  an  expert  in  this  case  but  I  know  enough  to  tell  me  how  complicated  relationship  is. And  you're  taking  this  way  too  easily."

               "You  seem  like  a  know-it-all," Rin  remarked, a  displeased  frown  creased  into  her  forehead  at  that  revelation. 

               "Reality  check, I'm  a  guy," Duo  replied  flatly. When  he  noticed  she  didn't  share  his  view, he  felt  hastened  to  explain, "Look, it  just  seems  to  me  you're  relying  completely  on  some  material  stuff  to  please  him. Even  if  you're  successful, how  can  you  really  be  sure  if  he's  not  in  it  for  your  money? You  don't  even  know  him."

               "Because  he's  not  like  that  at  all," Rin  snapped  defensively. "He's  different. He's  sweet  and  smart  and  he's  even  rich…." When  the  only  respond  she  received  was  a  chuckle  and  a  mere  shake  of  his  head, she  took  it  personally  and  cried  out  in  annoyance, "What's  your  problem  anyway? You  know  what  you  really  sound  like?" Duo  opened  his  mouth  to  answer  but  Rin  intruded  when  he  barely  got  his  voice  out, "You  sound  like  someone  who  has  his  heart  trampled  by  similar  cases. You're  one  of  those  poor, broken  souls  who  thinks  they're  doing  the  world  a  favor  by  warning  us  the  fatalities  that  love  brings…"

               Her  assumption  was  so  absurd  that  Duo  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed, startling  half  of  the  customers  in  the  store. His  friends  had  never  questioned  him  of  his  personal  affairs  with  women  nor  even  judged  him  when  they  found  bits  of  information  regarding  it  but  this  girl  had  summarized  her  total  opinion  of  him  by  a  mere  advice  that  could  easily  be  given  just  by  anyone. Even  by  Heero.

               "Now  you  seem  like  a  know-it-all," Duo  commented  wryly. 

               "Well, am  I  right?" 

               Duo  pretended  to  think  hard  before  he  answered  her  flatly, destroying  her  already  tattered  pride, "Nope, not  even  close. I  think  if  you're  not  so  blinded  by  this  thing  called  puppy  love, you  would  have  been  able  to  see  my  point  of  view. All  I'm  saying  is  that  it'll  be  more  flattering  if  you  use  your  own  charms  to  attract  him. But  you're  partly  right, it's  not  my  problem  if  you  want  to  lure  him  with  material  possessions. Personally, I  just  think  that's  a  sad  way  to  love  someone…."

               "You're  so..…" 

Rin's  protest  was  abruptly  cut  off  when  another  voice  interrupted, "I  think  you  mean, it's  sad  to  harbor  feelings  for  someone  who  doesn't  reciprocate  and  worst, who's  even  using  those  feelings  for  selfish  benefits, right?" Then, the  owner  of  the  voice  stepped  away  from  behind  Rin  and  stood  across  from  Duo  before  adding, "But  how  will  you  ever  find  out  the  true  depths  of  their  feelings  if  you  refuse  to  take  the  first  step, regardless  of  the  means?"

               Duo  was  speechless, his  breath  caught  in  his  throat. It  wasn't  much  of  her  sudden  appearance  that  caught  him  off  guard, but  more  likely  he  felt  a  flicker  of  recognition  stirred  his  mind  before  the  memory  of  her  presence  struck  him  and  stunned  him  into  silence. She  was  standing  so  close  to  him, he  could  smell  the  faint  fragrant  of  peaches  lingering  around  her. Savoring  the  sweet  smell  and  seizing  the  opportunity  to  survey  her  close-up, he  took  in  every  single  detail  that  was  presented  to  him. 

Although  he  had  studied  her  picture  several  times  in  the  past  few  weeks, he  often  found  himself  thinking  of  that  sweet  face, which  wasn't  anything  out  of  the  ordinary  since  he  had  been  involved  with  women  before  and  he  had  gazed  at  the  picture  fondly  enough  to  memorize  her  features. However, it  felt  so  different  to  have  her  standing  right  in  front  of  him  like  this. The  picture  he  took  of  her  certainly  did  no  justice  to  compliment  her  beauty. She  had  the  figure  of  a  petite  goddess, with  long  shapely  legs  and  a  tiny  waist  that  could  drive  any  man  insane  with  desire. Innocence  emitted  from  her  presence  but  her  figure  possessed  an  intimidating  air  that  belonged  to  a  temptress. 

After  all  these  weeks, it  never  occurred  to  him  the  possibility  of  their  paths  crossed  ever  again  and  he  had  long  ago  dismissed  the  idea  of  searching  for  her  in  her  school  because  frankly, he  wasn't  that  desperate, especially  when  an  underage  teenager  was  involved. But  now  that  she  was  here  right  in  front  of  him, maybe  he  could  make  an  exception  for  this  one…..

A  grin  swept  across  his  features  and  his  eyes  glinted  in  amusement, forgetting  momentarily  that  he  was  inventorying  the  feminine  assets  of  an  innocent  child. 

               Minako  could  have  sworn  she  heard  his  intake  of  breath  once  he  acknowledged  her  presence. He  immediately  lapsed  into  silence, seemingly  stunned  at  her  sudden  appearance. Then, a  knowing  smile  lifted  the  corners  of  his  mouth  in  a  way  that  made  Minako  shifted  uncomfortably  at  his  scrutiny  but  she  kept  her  expression  calm, a  wry  smile  graced  her  features  in  challenge  of  his  verbal  counters. He  looked  so  familiar, she  decided  quietly, inspecting  him  from  head  to  toe. She  couldn't  recall  where  she  had  seen  him  but  she  was  certain  she  had  seen  that  choice  of  hairstyle  before. His  attire  was  suspiciously  dark  and  bleak  yet  it  was  his  presence  alone  that  emitted  a  mysterious  air  around  him, slowly  drawing  her  interest  towards  him.

                When  Duo  finally  regained  control  of  his  composure  and  his  mind  finally  grasped  the  revelation  of  her  statement, he  slowly  took  off  his  sunglass  and  pinned  Minako  with  a  piercing  gaze. "Well, are  you  willing  to  put  your  heart  at  risk  knowing  that  it's  bound  to  be  broken?"

               "Your  heart  is  at  risk  either  way."

               She  answered  him  with  heavy  calmness  and  absolute  resolution  that  appeared  suspiciously  to  have  stemmed  from  a  broken  heart. His  smile  slowly  leaving  his  face, Duo  stared  at  her  in  speculative  silence  and  she  stared  back  at  him, bravely  leveling  her  eyes  to  meet  him  at  the  risk  of  exposing  her  entire  feelings  towards  the  casual  debate.

               "I  think  your  friend  definitely  has  the  wrong  person  figured  out," Duo  murmured  meaningfully. 

               His  revelation  threw  her  off  and  for  awhile  there, her  expression  cracked  and  gave  away  into  shock. Struggling  to  regain  some  small  measure  of  control, she  forced  her  gaze  away  from  his  searching  blue  ones  and  was  about  to  leave  when  Rin  all  of  a  sudden  tugged  her  arm.

               "Rin, let go," Minako  stuttered  in  angry  confusion, yanking  her  arm  back. "We're  going  to  be  late...…"

               "He's  wearing  it!" Rin  cried  out  frantically, pointing  to  Duo's  wrist. "T-that's  the  one, he's  wearing  it!"

               Duo  looked  puzzle  before  his  eyes  dropped  to  his  folded  arms  and  noticed  the  glint  of  the  chain  around  his  wrist. "Oh, you  mean  this?" he  queried  in  amusement  as  he  lifted  his  wrist  and  practically  paraded  it  to  the  girls. "So  this  is  what  you  girls  were  looking  for. Yea, it's  the  last  one  they  have  here…"

               "What?!" Rin  cried  in  dismay. "When's  the  next  stock  arriving?"

               "I  don't  know," Duo  told  her  hesitantly. "Maybe  next  week, next  month…..Well, at  least  this  guy  friend  of  your  has  good  taste. It's  definitely  worth  the  bucks, good  thing  I  saw  this  first."

               "We'll  buy  it  from  you!" Rin  intruded  with  obvious  determination  to  own  that  bracelet. When  Minako  gave  her  friend  a  look  of  bafflement  and  incredulous, Rin  retorted  desperately, "I  need  to  have  it  today." Then, turning  back  to  Duo, she  persisted, "We'll  buy  it  from  you. Name  your  price."

               Duo  frowned. "You're  sure  going  all  out  to  prove  how  much  you  care  for  this  guy…"

               "How  much?" Rin  pressed  urgently  and  with  equal  seriousness. 

               "What  if  I  refuse  to  sell  it  to  you?" 

               Rin's  hopeful  face  fell  and  she  turned  pleadingly  to  Minako, tugging  at  her  friend's  arm. Minako  was  extremely  annoyed  at  Rin's  persistence  but  her  protest  died  in  her  throat  once  she  realized  the  earnest  affections  in  Rin's  glistening  eyes. She  looked  painfully  at  those  eyes, tormented  by  its  reminder  of  her  own  experience  when  she  was  once  a  hopeful  teenager  in  love. Sighing  in  defeat, she  looked  at  Duo  and  demanded, "What  does  it  take  for  you  to  sell  it  to  us?" 

               Duo's  eyes  suddenly  shone  with  interest. For  the  first  time, he  chose  to  ignore  the  inappropriate  issue  of  dealing  with  an  innocent  teenager  in  favor  of  his  own  desire  and  let  himself  be  driven  by  his  own  instinct. However, he  kept  his  expression  blank  and  held  out  his  hand. 

"Take  it," Duo  stated  calmly  but  with  a  hint  of  authority  that  would  appear  suspicious  to  anyone  who  had  fallen  for  one  of  his  pranks.

Minako  looked  at  him  in  puzzle, her  rosy-hued  lips  parted  slightly  in  surprise  and  unconsciously, Duo's  eyes  drifted  to  her  parting  lips  that  seemed  positively  to  be  inviting  his. "What?" 

"If  you  still  want  it, then  take  it."

               Misunderstanding  his  gesture  for  defeat  and  pleased  that  she  wouldn't  have  to  perform  any  mindless  acts  of  pleading, Minako  reached  out  to  unclasp  the  chain  but  when  the  tips  of  her  fingers  brushed  his  wrist, she  found  herself  being  pulled  into  his  arms  roughly  and  his  lips  came  down  to  brush  hers  in  a  soft, tender  kiss.


	4. Chapter three

ONE  SWEET  DAY 

By  :  angelofvenus_l3

                                                            **CHAPTER  THREE**

His lips were moving slowly, caressing hers in a gentle manner, sending tingles of electricity through their bodies which stunned her, physically and mentally into submission. Minako's heart began to beat in painful lurches. It had been so long since someone kissed her so tenderly and caused such devastating effects on her nerves. After many years of keeping her emotions reserved and deprived herself from any forms of pleasure, she felt the emotional barrier that protected her heart from enduring anymore shattering impact slowly began to crack. Drowning by the rapid beating of her heart, she inched her lips closer to his, kissing him back in uncertainty. Duo was more than happy to oblige her request and encourage her to explore by deepening their kiss. 

However, his attempt to pry her mouth open for further access penetrated her drugged senses into wakefulness, jolting her mind to race wildly at her repulsive behavior that enjoyed his kiss. Horrified, her eyes flew opened as she instinctively pushed him back while struggling desperately to collect herself. Her heart was pounding so hard that it actually hurt her chest for this man had such an effect on her, especially with his ability to stun her mind and stir her emotions with a mere brush of his lips. She stared at him in bewilderment and puzzled before her expression gave away into a mixture of shock, rage and mortification.

               Duo was startled by her sudden reaction but he quickly composed himself, masking his surprise with a vague smile. Taking a moment to survey her features now, he came to realize she was even more breathtaking than ever, especially with that flush coloring her cheeks. Despite the fact that their kiss lasted barely a minute which certainly was not enough to steal their breaths, she was breathing a little heavily. There was something about her reaction that disturbed him. Her eyes were staring accusingly into his, obviously in outrage but he detected a hint of uncertainty in them …something that didn't belong there. Her body was trembling …in fear? Duo seriously hoped not, it wasn't his intention to frighten her at all nor was he even attempting to mark his territory or gain any male satisfaction for 'scoring' with a gorgeous underage teenager. 

               Tears burned the back of her eyes. She felt so violated, as though his callous hands were all over her body this very minute. The way his eyes gazing smugly at her and that vague smile touching his lips only added more to her discomfort and humiliation. No doubt he was summarizing his opinions of her. Her tongue was just eager to blast out swears and curses which half of them she wasn't even aware of the meaning until she mentally ran out of words to express her turbulent animosity. So to sum up her exact opinion of him, she raised her hand swiftly to meet his cheek in an angry slap.

               The sharp contact was not enough to whip his neck but it was definitely more than enough to signify her feelings towards being treated cheaply. A collective gasp was heard after that, although nobody dared to interfere. Duo's eyes had closed in reflex, all at once wiping the smile off his face as he fought for control of his own paralyzed state due to her unexpected retaliation. When he finally recovered, he felt his cheek stung but the pain was instantly forgotten when his eyes met hers once more. The baby blue eyes stormed with rage yet there was a flicker of another emotion in them, which most probably played a big role as well since she seemed surprise herself but she recovered pretty quickly and her hand instantly flew to her chest or more precisely, to grasp the tiny pendant of her necklace for reassurance and strength.

               Sitting there in the middle of a store with the back of his palm resting on his bruised cheek and in complete view of other customers who had been following their previous display of 'affection', Duo was puzzled, to say the least. He wasn't angry or even embarrass, just confused. He had his fair share of dates and he had kissed enough women to know their preference from a simple brush on the lips to intense French kissing. And what he had gathered, she had enjoyed the kiss and was halfway kissing him back until he decided to push things a little further than he intended. The slap was deserving, although it was unexpected. However, even that didn't seem to improve her mood.

               "Baka!" she cried helplessly, shaking with thwarted outrage.

Duo frowned a little until he caught a glimpse moisture at the corner of her eye just before she turned away and stormed out of the store, leaving her friends gawking. Rin, who had been standing there all this while, was completely baffled at the exchange and it took her a minute to regain enough sense to chase after her friend. Duo's features slowly softened at the discovery and all of a sudden, it struck him, why she reacted the way she did. 

Minako forced herself to focus on the game. The coach was generous enough to let her off with a warning for her tardiness but between her outrage at that man's inexplicable behavior and other overwhelming emotions that threatened her patience, her mind refused to cooperate with what her other senses had supposedly fed. Her chest constricted with emotions, careening crazily from one feeling to another, torturing her already bruised pride and questioning her moral standards. 

"Minako, focus!" the coach's booming voice yelled just as soon as the ball missed her hands and bounced back on the court. "What are you doing?! That was a terrible catch! How do you expect to win the next tournament with that level?! Concentrate!"

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Minako assumed back her position on the court, then masking her annoyance with an apologetic smile to her teammates' questioning stares. 

"Minako, are you okay?" one of her friends inquired more skeptically than out of concern as she took her own position next to Minako. 

Minako nodded. "Sorry, I'm just a little distracted…"

 Her friend gave her an encouraging nod, assuring her nothing was really at lost since it was only a practice game. Minako managed a weak smile and turned away, her mind still loaded with built-up frustration that was practically at the verge of bursting. Truthfully, she didn't feel like playing anymore and when the coach yelled at her again, she had almost walked out of the hall. Usually the sound of her schoolmates' cheers would have lifted her spirit but the mixture of their incoherent voices only sounded like noise to her now and it began to irritate her. 

However, as the game progressed on, she managed to exonerate her terrible performance and played earnestly to tie the score. Her movements became quicker and her attempts to spike the ball became much more affective as she channeled all her energy, emotionally and physically into the game. The voices of support and chorus remarks roared in her ears as she gained another score for her team. Yet, she wasn't content. It was simply not enough, she could still feel her heart wretched as she recalled back the kiss. That man …

Her rage escalated, dousing whatever satisfaction she had left from her previous success and thus, she made several drastic attempts that required the usage of strength and energy more than necessary in order to feed her burning anger and restore her pride. As she visualized the man's face on the ball, she raised her fist and slammed the ball with all her might.

The startle cry punctuated with a satisfying sound of the ball hitting the ground penetrated  Minako's mind. As she snapped up, it suddenly dawned on her at what she had just done. One of her opponent was sprawled on the floor, moaning in pain while the rest of her teammates surrounded her and several of their schoolmates who had been watching game, rushed over to the brunette girl. Minako's mind began to race in sinking horror. Raised murmurs and excited cries mixed in a heap of blur echoing in her ears as she rushed over to the scene.

The coach was already there, dragging the girl, Ayami into a sitting position while murmuring something in her ear. She was clutching her arm, her eyes squeezed shut and gritting her teeth in pain. Minako pushed past the crowd that surrounded her and kneeled across the girl, horrified to discover the damage she had done. 

"Ayami, are you alright?" Minako called out frantically but received no reply from the moaning girl.

"Alright, everyone move," the coach ordered as he helped Ayami to stand, supporting her with an arm around her waist. The students followed obediently as they stepped back. "Everyone get back at the game while I send her to the nurse's office." Then, he stared coldly at Minako. "As for you, I would like a word with you later. For now, you are dismiss from practice."

Minako watched helplessly as the couch and Ayami disappeared through the door. All of a sudden, her energy vanished and her body suddenly felt so heavy and weak. Her friends confronted her of the incident after that which Minako handled with a halfhearted attempt to explain that it was purely accidental. Dragging her feet to the corner where she had tossed her bag pack, she grabbed her water bottle and gulped it down to cover her bewildering emotions.

A short moment later, the game began and as the crowd cheered, Rin and Ikiko approached her at the bench. Minako forced out a weak smile at them, wishing silently that they would leave her alone. She refused to deal with her friends' accusation when she was currently at the verge of being kicked out of the game. At least, she assumed she was since the coach had never been so angry with her before.

"Minako," Ikiko said with caution as she sat next to her friend. "What's going on? You didn't just dislocate Ayami's shoulder on purpose now, did you?" 

"Of course not," Minako answered bluntly, staring at Ikiko skeptically as if she was daft enough to ask such a question. 

"Then, what's the matter?" her friend demanded. "You're not being yourself out there and the competition's only a week away. It's not like you to lose your concentration like this."

Minako sighed in exasperation. "I'm fine," she insisted weakly, keeping her eyes on the game and noting the defense had weaken drastically on both team over the two missing star players. "It was just recklessness on my part, I was too absorbed in the game, I was trying to score a point…."

"It's because of that man, isn't it?" Rin suddenly accused. Minako hesitated, feeling her cheeks warmed a little, then she shrugged in indifference. 

"What man?" Ikiko demanded incredulously. 

"We met this guy at the store a few hours ago, that's why she's late," Rin explained halfheartedly. "And then, without a reason, he forced himself on her."

Minako blanched while Ikiko gasped in horror. Then, she turned frantically to Minako. "Minako, is this true?"

"Rin!" the young blonde groaned at the unnecessary exaggeration. 

"Alright," Rin replied indignantly. "He just kissed her but she didn't consent him, so that clearly states the he FORCE his way with her." Minako merely rolled her eyes. 

Ikiko's features expressed her relief as her hand rested on her chest. "Don't scare me like that. I mean, if he did anything beyond that, it's bound to be serious."

"Look, it's just a kiss," Minako cried in annoyance. "It's not a big deal. Let's drop it…"  
               "Well, if this kiss is worth your distraction at practice, then it is a big deal," Ikiko pointed out stubbornly. 

"Minako, why are you so upset about it?" Rin queried. "It's not like you've never been kissed before."

Minako suppressed her groan and the urge to simply walk off. "Well, you would be upset, too if you've being treated cheaply!" she snapped back.

"Not if it's with Yoji we're talking about," Rin answered back calmly and with a faint hint of drawl in her tone. 

"Wait, what really happened here?" Ikiko demanded in confusion. "Did he just walk over and kiss you? Just like that?"

"No," Minako muttered, then sighed helplessly. "I'm sorry, I don't feel like getting into the details right now." 

She rose to her feet angrily, not quite sure where she was going but when she turned, her body collided with something solid. She cried out in surprise and staggered back, then her eyes rose to meet a pair of hazel eyes staring intensely down at her. She suppressed another gasp when she realized who this blonde boy was. Minako had never been this close to him before, which gave her the opportunity to inspect his features and she came to realize there was definitely nothing wrong with Rin's taste. As far as she could tell, he was the handsomest guy in school, with that straight blonde hair that fell just past his chin. She couldn't help noticing he had a faint dimple on his right cheek which deepened when he smiled. Still, for some reason, he didn't appeal to her as someone she would date. 

Minako didn't realize she had been staring at him until he grinned sheepishly at her scrutiny. "Did you hurt your head, too when we bumped?" he asked teasingly. 

               Minako opened her mouth to answer when Rin called out happily, "Yoji!" She trotted over to them and stood right next to Minako, grinning as though she was basking in his affections at this very moment. "Yoji, I didn't realize you were watching the game. How long have you been here?"

               "Long enough to see the little incident," he stated meaningfully, casting a glance at Minako who responded with a scowl. Chuckling, he added playfully, "Hey, I didn't say you did it on purpose. I just came down to see what's going on. You seem a little distracted in the game …"

               Minako sighed in exasperation. "Look, I was just …"

               "She's just upset that some guy had his way with her," Rin offered helpfully, still grinning as she gave Minako a playful slap on her arm.

               Minako glared at her momentarily before Yoji interrupted in confusion, "What guy?"

               "Nothing, he's no one," Minako snapped back irritably. 

               "We were at this store today when this guy started hitting on me for no reason," Rin quickly explained. "Then, Minako came to rescue me and they had a brief quarrel about something before he kissed her. He force himself on her and it could have easily been me if Minako didn't come over." 

               Yoji's eyes widen slightly, then he turned to Minako for confirmation. Minako sighed helplessly and nodded, seeing as Rin was desperately trying to attract Yoji's attention. Although she would prefer if it wasn't at her expense. 

               "Did he do anything else to you after that?" 

               "No," Minako replied hesitantly, wondering briefly why did that issue matter to him. "He didn't. He was just fooling around, I suppose, like all guys do. Look, it's not a big deal."

               "Yea, don't worry, Minako will be fine," Rin exclaimed, patting Minako's arm. Then, she looked hopeful. "Yoji, there's this new ice-cream parlor at the corner of Jyuban Street. Minako, Ikiko and I are planning to try it out after practice …." 

Minako glanced at her in puzzle. "We are?" Rin pinched the back of her arm and Minako instinctively yelped, "Right, we are!"

"So would you like to join us?" Rin added sweetly. 

               Yoji's eyes flicked briefly towards Minako. "I'd love to."

               Rin squealed in delight. "Great!"

               "Alright, I'll see you after practice then," Yoji said, giving them a brief wave before he left to join his friends. 

               "Maxwell, are you paying attention?"

                The other staff members paused to look up from their files as Duo dragged his lazy gaze to meet Wufei's irritated scowl. 

It had been almost three hours since the meeting commenced and up until now, he wasn't even sure what it was all about but he was almost certain it had something to do with selecting some members to assist Wufei in monitoring the Parliament while the representatives from the colonies had their meetings. Either that or Wufei was planning to dump some minor assignments on him like reviewing the damage reports and sorting out old documents. It was so predictable. Heero would usually lead the Special Unit against some terrorist attacks, Trowa would have the honor of monitoring some organization in outer space suspected to be a threat to peace and Quatre was usually the negotiator, although his duty was only assigned to him if the mission was really in dire need of his assistance. Everyone was sent out to outer space or around the world to complete a certain task but unlike them, his main assignment was confined to his office or at least the building he worked in. 

Not that he minded much, but his everyday routine was getting so predictable, it was boring. Perhaps he should appreciate this calm, peaceful atmosphere of simplicity but having spent all of his life fighting in the war, he was still not accustomed to letting his guard down and lead a life of total boredom and predictability.

               "Of course I am," Duo replied indignantly, straightening himself. "You're talking about a certain mission, right?"

               Wufei's features slowly hardened. "Are you aware what exactly the mission requires you to do?"

               Duo was puzzled and glanced at Wufei in suspicion. "I have a mission?"

               Wufei's jaw clenched and for a minute there, he seemed seriously at the verge of strangling Duo. Duo shifted uncomfortably at Wufei's glare, laughing nervously as if to dismiss his question with a joke, "Of course I have a mission. I was just….you know, messing around with you, Wufei. You don't joke around like you used to anymore. I know my mission. It's all stated inside this and …." He flipped through his file and scanned it, before he frowned in confusion. "Hang on a sec, this isn't my mission ….it isn't a mission at all …"

               Wufei slapped the papers he was holding on the table and scowled at the American man. "Is there any questions regarding the assignments?" he asked with forced courtesy to the other members and immediately received a collective 'no'. "Meeting adjourn. Sophia, I will need the minutes on my desk tomorrow morning. Agent Kent, please refer to Agent Po for the statistic reports on the assignment given and Agent Maxwell." Duo was about to dash out of the room when he stopped abruptly and flinched upon being called unexpectedly. Slowly, hesitantly, he turned to Wufei and regarded the angry Chinese man with an uncertain smile. "May I see you for a minute?"

               As soon as everyone piled out of the room, Duo quickly defended himself before the Chinese man could speak, "Ne, Wufei, if you're planning to dump anymore assignments on me just because I wasn't aware of what the meeting was all about, then I think that is totally unfair and you ….you should cut me some slacks because I've never done this before. Well, with the exception of my coming late to work, and occasionally forgetting to read the memos, and missing last month's evaluation meeting. But remember the time when I helped you …." Duo stopped abruptly when Wufei raised his hand to halt any further ramblings. By then, Wufei, who seemed to have gotten used to deal with this sort of obstacle, was in control of his patience once more and the scowl had slowly left his face, replaced by a detached expression he usually wore when dealing with private office matter.

               "All I want to know is why are you so distracted." 

               Instinctively, Duo felt his cheeks warmed as the girl's features flashed in his mind. "Nothing particular really," he mumbled halfheartedly.

               Wufei peered at him in disbelief. "I know you are not always that keen to complete a task nor are you excited about anything that this job offers, but this lackadaisical behavior of yours is getting very apparent in your performance and it's beginning to affect the office."

               Duo snorted, waving his hand dismissively. "You got all that from me tuning out in the meeting?"

               Wufei narrowed his eyes. "No, I got all that from this proposal I asked you to rectify after lunch." He produced a set of clipped papers and tossed it on the table. "All I ask you to do was reverse this plan's procedure but instead, you've jumbled up the details, messed up the entire plan and reconstructed it into your very own mission, one that apparently requires the assistant of the terrorists themselves to attack the parliament in Europe, while holding the Sanq kingdom as captive. You even misspelled the word 'parliament'. I wouldn't have minded so much if this proposal wasn't due for today's appointment with Lady Une. Because of this, many plans has to be postponed until major correction has been made, which means half of Heero's work has to be delayed …."

               "Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Duo apologized hastily, raising his hands up in defeat. "I'll finish the proposal by tonight, just don't reprimand me or anything."

Wufei leaned back against the leather seat and studied Duo's expression intently, still unsatisfied. "This is not a miniscule task you can take lightly, Duo. There's still a lot more assignments I have to hand out following the proposal, which I'm afraid will still have to be done at the next meeting even if you're able to complete it now. And I still need to discuss this proposal thoroughly with Lady Une in order to get her approval before the mission is extended among the members at the next meeting. So, by now you should realize how time consuming it really is and your recklessness is not helping in the least. As your supervisor, I have every right to penalize you for this error. But as a friend and a comrade who has gone through many battles side-by-side with you, I suppose I should be worrying what led you to this sudden incompetence before I take any official actions. Now, why don't you tell me what are the problems you're encountering. Are you ill? Is the HQ not paying you enough? Or are you currently involve in some mafia activities that takes up half of your time?"

               Duo stared at him in stupefaction. Then, he answered flatly, "No. No, Wufei, not lately. Apparently they don't accept former Gundam pilots as members, not to mention those who are still currently working under the organization serve to eliminate their kind of people …"

               "So, aside from the grudge you have against their refusal to have you as a member, what's your problem?"

               Duo hesitated, scratching the back of his head nervously. There was no way Wufei would accept his simple explanation that he was merely distracted by the mere thought of a beautiful high school girl. Truthfully, he wasn't thinking about her looks ….that much but what appealed to him most about her was her expressiveness. At one time, he could almost see right through her and yet other times, she managed to mask her feelings as well as him. It amazed him, to find someone with a personality so intriguing, so mysterious. Somehow among all the girls he had seen walking by him, she stood out the most, in beauty and he could sense as well as in her personality. 

               He recalled back their kiss and reveled in the feel of her lips. So soft, moving hesitantly and almost apparently unskilled in exploration yet he could detect a dangerous streak of a temptress in her every move, stamped in every curve of her body. Her reaction to that kiss had puzzled him until he caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes. All of a sudden, he knew why, he understood why she reacted that way and his conclusion only proved how innocent she really was. His heart ached a little at that thought, knowing that he was at fault for triggering her carefully masked emotions. Having concealed the true depths of his feelings from his friends, he knew what it was like to be provoked and suffered helplessly all over again. His guilt had been nagging him all day long, he had to do something about it soon or else he would not be able to do any work at all, and this small talk with Wufei was only the beginning stage of him being fired. Maybe he could drop by her school tomorrow morning to apologize before he set off to work, and maybe brought over some flowers or chocolates to indicate how sorry he was but would it be appropriate? He doubted it would be enough to ease her resentment so perhaps he should considered another alternative in case she decided to …..

               "Duo? Duo!"

               Duo snapped from his thoughts and fixed his eyes at Wufei, who looked rather annoyed now. "Oh, right, sorry," Duo murmured apologetically for his dazedness. "I was just ….you know."

               "No, I don't know," Wufei pressed in annoyance. "What is going on with you, Maxwell? Are you in some kind of trouble? Is that why you're so distracted?"

               Duo flinched, squirming inwardly under his friend's scrutiny. "Look, I said I'm sorry," he insisted weakly. "I guess I was just …bored and I chose the wrong moment to mess up. I'm sorry, okay. You're right, it's my fault and …." He rose to his feet and grabbed the proposal. "I'll get this done as soon as possible. You'll have this on your desk by tomorrow morning, good as new or …as good as you expect it to be. As your subordinate, I totally understand if you want to fire me, you have every right to. I deserve every single punishment. However, as a friend, I can only offer to take you dinner at that Chinese restaurant you love so much, just to compensate for my grave mistake …" He risked a smile, looking expectantly at Wufei. "My treat?"

               Wufei frowned and just when Duo thought he would refuse, the Chinese man grunted, turning away to clear the papers scattered on the table. "Fine."

               Duo's grin widen and as they proceed to leave the room, Wufei added, "You're still going to work extra hours to pay for the delays you've caused."

               "Dang it."

               With her bag pack slung over her shoulder, Minako dragged her feet lazily from the teacher's lounge and walked along the empty hallway. The coach had decided to give her a second chance, since she had a clean record and fortunately, Ayami's injury wasn't serious. Unfortunately, she still wouldn't be able to make it for the tournament next week so Minako would need more than just flowers and dozen of get well cards to soften Ayami's temper. According to the coach, Ayami had been more upset about her unable to join the game than her injury. However, Minako was certain that doesn't mean Ayami wasn't blaming it on her. 

               Rin, Ikiko, Yoji and his brunette friend, Hiroto were waiting for her at the gate. Minako suppressed a groan when she saw them as she wasn't exactly in the mood for ice-cream but seeing as they had waited for at least half an hour for her, she couldn't possibly turned them down now. 

               "So what did Takigawa-sensei say?" Ikiko asked once Minako approached them and they began to walk in group. "Are you still in the game?"

               "I am but unfortunately, Ayami's not." 

               "Oh dear," Ikiko gasped, glancing momentarily at the others. "That's terrible." 

               "Can't say I'm surprise, though," Hiroto interrupted with a shrug. "You got her good, I'm pretty amaze you have the strength. Did you hear the sound when the ball hit her? It was a sharp, defining crack, like a stick being broken into two …."

               "Oh, shut up," Minako muttered under her breath, not caring if he heard her or not. She was too busy thinking of an appropriate forms of apology to Ayami. While the conversation went on among her friends, Minako couldn't help noticing how Rin kept tugging at Yoji's arm and how uncomfortable he seemed at her boldness. He kept glancing at Minako for help, which at first only made her chuckled but after that, she began to feel earnestly sorry for him. At one point, Minako could have sworn Yoji was glaring as Rin talked incessantly about her childhood while leaning her head on his shoulder affectionately. Ikiko and Hiroto were aware of the exchange, yet neither seemed to care that much as they seemed to be animated in their own conversation.

               Minako was so deep in thought she didn't realize a pair of familiar figures striding towards her direction until Rin's bitter excitement broke her thoughts, "Oh god, you again!" Hearing this, Minako looked up quizzically and a gasp tore her lips once she realized who it was.

               Duo, who had been absorbed in his own monologue with Wufei, glanced quizzically at where the cry came from and was granted with shock. Then his face instantly lit up in pleasure and this prompted Minako to scowl as he seemed to deliberately remind her of their kiss. 

"Hey," Duo greeted good-naturedly, giving her a small wave. "Fancy meeting you again." Narrowing her eyes in contempt, Minako merely glared at him, daring him to remark about their previous encounter. Duo chose to disregard her temper because this time he was prepared for whatever retaliation she would hurl at him, which was why he made certain he was at least two feet away from her. "I was just thinking about you …"

"Or are you just thinking of another way to take advantage of her again?" Rin challenged, eyeing him in contempt. "First her lips, then who knows? Maybe her body …That's what you were after in the first place, right? You're a sick man, you know that!"  
               "Rin!" Minako whispered harshly. She was pleased with her friend's support but there was certainly no need for any unnecessary implications which only served to embarrass her.

Duo lifted an eyebrow in amusement.  He expected that sort of remark from the girl he had kissed earlier but not from this young lady who appeared to have suffered the same effect of being kissed as well. "How highly you think of me," he remarked lightheartedly. 

Still locking eyes with the group, Wufei inquired quietly in displeasure, "Maxwell, what did you do now?"

"What's going on?" Yoji demanded in confusion. "You know these guys?"

"Don't you get it?" Rin exclaimed excitedly, pointing an accusing finger at Duo. "That's the pervert who forced himself on Minako!"

                 
               


	5. Chapter four

ONE SWEET DAY 

By : angelofvenusl3

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"That's the pervert who forced himself on Minako!"

Minako groaned inwardly at this unnecessary remark as she felt blood rushing to her cheeks. Ikiko gasped loudly, then she cast Duo a disgusted look. Hiroto acted indifferently towards the situation, though there was a hint of amusement glinting in his eyes.

"Now that's a little exaggerating," Duo commented, maintaining a lighthearted tone and suppressing the urge to strangle the brunette who seemed to make the situation even worst for him. Despite the accusing stares and exaggerated remark, Duo was actually amused. He had expected this sort of confrontation, although he preferred it if it was confined to just the two of them but at least now he had a chance to apologize and compensate for his error.

Wufei, who had grown very annoyed at this dalliance and combined with the sudden accusation of his staff member for a crime which could leave a dented reputation on the HQ, he was not at all pleased. "What exactly did he do?" he asked quietly but with deliberate emphasis on each word that confirmed Duo the seriousness of the accusation. Duo, however, appeared unaffected by it, believing it was nothing more than a harmless flirtation that had apparently attracted excessive attention. But in her eyes, that was a different story and he was ready to confront that. Once they were alone, of course. Another thought began to toy his mind. Did he just hear her name?

Minako's eyes narrowed in contempt and she hastily turned away, too angry to even speak, especially when Duo seemed to be taking the situation easier than she expected. Since she didn't seem inclined to answer, Rin decided to take matters into her own hand and was more than happy to remedy the confusion.

"He kissed her."

Wufei raised an eyebrow, dragging his gaze to meet Duo and waiting expectantly for him to confirm or deny this accusation. Duo shrugged and turned away, not so much out of fear but rather out of weariness to deal with someone who possessed such level of immaturity.

"You won't even admit what you've done?" Rin stalked over to Duo in determination and jabbed a finger at his chest, taking the braided pilot by surprise. "Are you just going to stand there and hide behind your friend? How pathetic!" Turning to Wufei as though for further conviction, she added sternly, "He just grabbed her and kissed her like she's some cheap toy!"

Yoji grabbed Rin's wrist before she plan to do any serious damage to Duo and pulled her back, all the while eyeing Duo suspiciously.

When Duo opened his mouth to reply, Wufei's eyes narrowed slightly, just in the right degree of disapproval which halted Duo's intention and forcing him to lapse into silence. Satisfied, Wufei turned back to the students and regarded them with cold remorse.

"Is that all?"

There was a frozen moment as the words hung over their heads. Duo had expected Wufei to handle this situation with calm authority regardless to the actual facts of the accusation, manipulating the situation to his advantage. That he always admired of his friend but he did feel a little uneasy allowing Wufei to retain control of his personal affair like this. And from the looks of it, neither did the blonde girl. She was somewhat caught between mortification, anger and bewilderment. At that point, she didn't seem capable of speech.

Yoji stepped away from the girls and stood across Duo, glaring at him in contempt. Duo, amused by the sudden shift of 'control', only gazed back with meager interest. This boy should be several years younger than him and his height almost matched up to Duo's yet there was something daunting about him that made Duo felt a little uneasy. His boyish appearance lacked the ability to intimidate people but Duo detected a flicker of ….rage storming in his eyes. They were a pair of sharp, piercing hazel eyes and had the effect of hardening his whole complexion once they were clouded with anger and discontent.

"You think you can get away with this?" the boy demanded, his voice coated with malice. "You think just because you're a member of the authority, you can abuse your power and get away with anything?" Duo narrowed his eyes, feeling his own irritation rising but he maintained his stance, refused to provoke any unnecessary and further confrontation from this boy. "If you dare so much as to do anything to her …."

"Before you finish that sentence," Wufei intruded in a deadly tone. "I should warn you, the penalty for threatening a member of the authority is most likely going to cost you more than it will cost him. The most you can benefit out of this confrontation will be nothing more than his apology. You are correct, though. We, the members of the Preventers do gain special treatment and enjoy some privileges. Think about it if you plan to pursue this matter. You won't get far."

Duo flinched inwardly at the coldness in Wufei's voice. He could see the boy even hesitated, caught between his determination to stand for his friend and doubts from the truth ringing in Wufei's words. But after a moment's hesitation, he decided furiously he wasn't about to simply accept the facts and took a threatening step forward, ready to throw a fist at one of them.

"Why you sons of a …."

Yoji's voice stopped abruptly when Minako gripped his arm and his body froze almost immediately in obedience. He glanced at her in a mixture of confusion and annoyance but the stubborn look in her eyes demanded that he followed her silent command.

"Yamete (Stop)," she whispered brokenly. "Onegai (Please) …."

The helpless plea beneath her forceful tone threw Duo off and he felt a tug at his heart upon this revelation. Her features were rigidly controlled but there was still a hint of embarrassment and hurt shuttered in her eyes. As though sensing her deception was being detected, she shrugged and forced out a preoccupied smile and told Wufei quietly, "This isn't necessary. I'd rather we just forget this whole thing ever happen. Frankly, I was planning on doing that anyway …"

Wufei had expected this respond and he gave her a smug smile. "Glad we have an agreement." Then, he turned to Duo expectantly.

Duo caught Wufei's silent order and hesitantly gazed at Minako, who quickly turned away, refusing to meet his gaze. "Sorry about ….that," he said earnestly, hoping that she would at least glance at him and once again, giving him a glimpse of her exact feelings. Somehow, he needed to know if she forgave him.

"Apology accepted," she replied automatically without even glancing at him. Turning to her friends, she said almost too sweetly, "Shall we?" Without waiting for a reply, she strode past the men, brushing Duo's shoulder lightly and continued to walk ahead.

The contact was brief but intense enough to be acknowledged by both, though neither would admit it. Duo's eyes lowered to the ground as he allowed her friends to brush hesitantly past him, oblivious and unconcerned with the looks of disdain they cast at him and Wufei. He failed to notice the exceptionally scowl of fury hurled towards him by his previous proprietor, absorbed in his own remorse from his action and the recollection of her cold gaze that pierced his soul. There was something in her gaze, the extremely cold gaze of hers that made his body froze a moment, forcing him to reconsider the actual morality of his action.

He was about to call out to her when Wufei clamped a firm grip on his shoulder, preventing him from rushing over towards the group. He glanced at Wufei in annoyance but any form of objection died in his lips when Wufei's features hardened in disapproval.

"Leave them," he instructed in a deadly calm voice that booked no room for argument. "This is already bad enough without you attempting any further contact with that girl. Now, care to explain your perverse misconduct?"

"So Yoji, what do you think about the school's Cultural Festival next month?" Rin inquired with guarded hope, inching closer to the blonde man.

They were seating at the bleachers, supposedly watching the daily volleyball training and occasionally cheering for them. Several of the students, as usual were presence in spite of the lateness of the evening, all in the name of school spirit and the simple pleasure of watching girls running around in tight shorts. "Everyone's been talking about it and I heard your class has decided to sell rice ball cakes for this occasion."

When Hiroto nudged his friend at the ribs, Yoji, who had his eyes fixed at the practice, glanced at Rin in annoyance. "Yea, sure," he muttered distractedly.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Rin went on happily. "My class hasn't even started on anything yet. I mean, I heard we're planning to sell sushi but we haven't decide what kind that will appeal to everyone. It's a competition, after all. Personally, I think it's better if we just sell sweet confectionaries, you know. I did some research of my own and I found out that sweets always have the highest rating for school students." She sighed and feigned a sad look. "If only the class had chosen me for president of this food committee, I'm pretty sure we could have get the highest selling food store in the school. But don't worry, I'm pretty sure your class will sell like hot cakes, too."

She was silent for a moment as Minako's team made another score and at that moment, Yoji's features lit up and his smile widen, to which Rin found completely charming. Her heart fluttered when his face seemed to beam with pride and clearly full with school spirit. The only reason she agreed to stay for Minako's training was him. Because it seemed as though this was the only time she could see his face lit up in pleasure. Strangely, he was never one to participate actively in sports or other form of school activities but when it came to giving support, he was always present at the trainings, particularly this volleyball practice. The competition was in two days and she understood why he felt the need to offer as much support as he could.

Hiroto whispered something to Yoji, then chuckled when his friend gave him a playful punch on his arm. Yoji was grinning when he returned his attention back to the court. The girls were given a few minutes to rest and they scattered to their respective corners. Minako trotted past the row of bleachers where Rin sat and she gave Rin a wave. Rin instinctively clung onto Yoji's arm, startling him and gave Minako a meaningful smile and a wave. Minako caught her meaning and winked at her friend, then she proceeded on her way.

"What was that all about?" Yoji demanded in confusion at Rin while squirming in her grip.

Oblivious to his discomfort, Rin replied with a noncommittal grin, "Oh, nothing. It's just her way of saying she's alright. You know, after that kissing incident couple of days ago."  
"She had better be," Yoji muttered, eyeing Minako warily as she drank from her bottle.

"Still, I don't understand what the big deal is, anyway," Rin said with a frown. "Minako is still kinda upset about it. So that guy kissed her, so what? It's not like he grope her or anything. He's a Preventer. As pervert as he is, it's highly unlikely he would go anywhere beyond a few stolen kisses. For one thing, we were in a store when it happened. Minako should get over it, really."

"She's still upset?" Yoji asked.

Rin shrugged in indifference. "Seems like it." Then, when she noticed Yoji's expectant look, Rin quickly added, "Don't get me wrong, I'm angry at him, too, for taking advantage of my friend. But Minako seem to make such a big deal out of this, it's pretty tiring, you know. The least she could feel is a little grateful. That could be the closest thing to a relationship she could get. Plus, he is kinda good looking for a Preventer."

Yoji's features hardened at that remark. He yanked her arm away from his and turned back to the game. In between her confusion and disbelief, Rin perceived his silence for jealousy of her reference to any male other than him as good looking. Her heart practically leapt in joy and she smiled to herself throughout the game.

Minako sighed wistfully as the whistled was blown, signaling the continuation of the match. She immediately took her position, drawing a deep breath to assure herself.

"A photographer?" Quatre echoed, his eyes widen as the corner of his lips twitched into a wry smile.

Heero nodded gravely behind his desk. "I find that hard to believe, too."

Quatre leaned back against his seat, chuckling to himself. He looked at Heero in amazement. "And it takes a miracle to surprise you. But surely this is one of his random hobbies he picked up between his work and his free time. Like that cooking hobby he discarded when he found peace with those horrid drum playing." Then, Quatre's smile widened in amusement. "If I recall correctly, that was the reason why you moved out, wasn't it?"  
"No, that was Wufei," Heero pointed out. "I moved out because of his annoying tendency to exercise his nonexistent culinary skills that always resulted in a flaming stove."

A look of confusion passed across the blonde man's face. "But Wufei lived across the hall …" Heero merely stared at Quatre. Understanding dawn on Quatre immediately after that and he acknowledged it with a hesitant nod. "Right. Anyway, at least this photographing business of his is harmless. I think it's a wonderful idea and it'll be even better if he sticks to it. He's always good at taking pictures anyway. If it falls through, I'll be saving quite a lot of money at Christmas parties and weddings." He paused and his expression slowly dimmed into one of concern and uncertainty. "Although it is quite an unusual transition, isn't it? I mean, this art of photography doesn't qualify much of a challenge for someone who is constantly bored and fickle with his choices."

"I suppose it's a matter of interest," Heero said grimly. "Some people do enjoy the strangest things or things that contradicted their nature. But that's who they really are and they're just responding to their personality. It shouldn't concern us. Duo could do anything he wants with his time, just as long as he doesn't make any unnecessary interference in peoples' lives."

"Well, what should concern us then?" Quatre inquired. "About Duo, I mean. I know you didn't invite me over for dinner for nothing. There's always a reason for everything."

"I hardly invite you over for anything, Kat," Heero stated blankly.

Quare's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Exactly. And when you do, you must have a reason for it." He winked at Heero. "Us former Gundam pilots are very observant about this kind of things, you know."

Heero's lips quirked faintly with a mirthless smile before resuming back to its usual, tight line of grimness. A shadow of doubts flickered in his eyes and at this point, he seemed to let his guard down a little as he confided to his friend, "Duo seem a bit distracted lately. And something tells me the reason doesn't lie entirely in his work. All of us are aware of his disposition in this job but I've a feeling it's more than that."

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked worriedly all of a sudden, drawing nearer to his friend. "Duo's always been the life of a party. The prankster of a prank. The last time I talked to him, he was telling me about some party he's conducting for a friend and he seem pretty excited about it. Just like his old self." He paused and hesitated when Heero gave Quatre a frown. "At least, to me, he sounds like his old self …"

"But then, he has always been like that, hasn't he?" another voice spoke before Heero could reply. Heero maintained an impassive expression as he looked past Quatre and found Trowa and Wufei entering his office. Quatre turned around shortly after and his features softened involuntarily at the arrival of his friends. "Like us, he finds it difficult to let his guard down," Trowa continued, stopping across the desk and placing a set of clipped papers across Heero. "And even more difficult to admit that sometimes he's not as strong as he portray himself to be."

"We all have our own reason to feel that way," Wufei said. "Some are just more apparent than the rest. It's becoming more obvious when he tries to hide it."

When Quatre still looked puzzled, Heero replied solemnly, "Kat, we all have our moments when we have to face our past. Regardless of how far we've came into the future, there will always be a reminder of who we are, where we come from. Duo seem to be struggling even harder to conceal that notion lately."

"But it shouldn't be," Quatre murmured, his head lowered guiltily. "I mean, I know it's difficult for us to live like this, bearing the souls of those innocent we killed but …." His eyes hardened in determination and his fists clenched tightly on his lap. "But the war is over …"

Trowa placed a hand on Quatre shoulder, his gaze softened as he met Quatre's cerulean ones. "That's the fate of us soldiers, Kat. Even though the war is over, we still have to live with bloodstains in our hands. Being the kindest of us all, you know that better than any of us."

"We grieved," Heero spoke grimly. "For the crimes we've committed. Then, while bearing the souls of the innocents, we move on. That's the fate of the soldier. It helps if we have reasons to keep living. I think all of us have grown accustomed to this sort of environment. But Duo …" He paused, compiling his thoughts. "I think he's still searching …"

The door suddenly swung opened, much to the pilots' surprise and Duo came sauntering in, waving some papers in his hand. "Hey, Heero, I got these reports that you …" His eyes widen when he noticed the other occupants in the room and his face lit up in pleasure. "Whoa, seems to be a party going on around here. Wufei, haven't seen you since this morning. Trowa, I see that clown mask have done you some good. Glad you're back, man. Kat, haven't seen you for awhile. How've you been, buddy?"

Quatre smiled hesitantly at him. "Good. Everything's well. How about you?" He couldn't resist adding, "Still working here?"

Laughing, Duo gave Quatre a light punch. "Not if there's a position open for president in your company."

Snickering, Quatre answered lightheartedly, "Haven't we gone through this before?"

"Yes but I'm not letting up until I get that position."

"How are you feeling today?" Wufei asked, scanning the papers Duo handed to Heero. He kept his voice needlessly devoid from concern.

Concealing his hesitation with a false smile, Duo replied brightly, "Good. Got those Ziract files compiled, handed over my reports in time …" He motioned his head to the papers in Wufei's hand. "And I actually went through the list of shipment supplies for next week's assignment. Yeah, I got everything done and it's not even a day yet. I gotta say I'm doing pretty good. Oh, and best of all, I finally got that new girl's number, Tracey Alison. We're going on a date tonight so nobody page me unless someone's dying or getting their head blown off or something." Grinning, he added slyly, "I might get lucky."

"Stacy," Trowa said all of a sudden.

Duo blinked. "What?"

"Her name is Stacy."

Duo frowned as he fished out a tiny strip of paper from his jeans pocket and studied it.

Clearing his throat and exchanging glances with the others, Quatre asked, "So Duo, we're actually on our way for dinner at that new restaurant across Roxy's. Maybe you can push your date a little later and join us."

Duo looked up from the strip of paper. The others expected him to pounce on the suggestion, seeing as he was always the one to offer such invites. Any reason to get off from work was valid enough for him.

"Oh …."

When Duo displayed the faintest hint of hesitation, their expressions remained neutral but their eyes darkened in disbelief and concern. "Love to but I can't," Duo finally replied. Then, he sighed in disappointment. "Got some personal errands to run and I hope to make it in time for my date later. Hope you guys don't mind but I'll take a rain check. Maybe next time?"

After he closed the door behind him, the pleasure in Duo's expression reduced to unusual grimness. Crumpling the tiny paper in his hand, he tossed it swiftly into the wastebasket as he walked down the corridor. His gaze lowered grimly to the ground and his mind focused solely on getting away. On contrary to his earlier allegations, with the exception of the reports, he didn't get anything else done. Wufei would be extremely furious but at this moment, Duo couldn't bring himself to feel even a little guilty at his lack of concern. There was something about the atmosphere in the building that unnerved him. He couldn't quite explain why but he felt suffocated and he just needed to get away.

He expelled his breath in a rush as he stepped out of the building. He tilted back his cap slightly to gaze at the darken sky, allowing the evening breeze to tug at his hair. Sighing, he began to wander aimlessly down the row of stores as crowds of people brushed past him, muttering incoherent remarks under their breaths when he bumped into them. Duo merely cast them a blank gaze, sometimes nodding apologetically but most of the time, he didn't even acknowledge them, as if he was trapped in his own train of thoughts.

Duo reflected back the scene that took place in Heero's office and his grim expression darkened into misery. They were talking about him. He knew. He didn't need to eavesdrop. The moment he entered the room and saw all of them there, their expressions had cracked into surprise and immediately, he knew they were talking about him and he could guess what had provoked their attention. It was strange, being on the other end of the receiving 'line', considering he and Quatre were the only ones among them who actually expressed any concerns for other people's welfare. Particularly among the five of them.

Truth be told, he wasn't sure if it was a good thing. It was nice to know that there were people who cared for him but somehow coming from the other pilots, the feeling wasn't entirely pleasant or comforting. When it came to these people whom he gladly called friends, he refused to give them the impression that he was capable of vulnerability. Why? He wasn't even sure himself. Maybe because it was part of his male ego that prohibited any portrayal of weaknesses in front of other masculine creatures. He rather held onto that reason, hating to admit that at one point, he was actually a little intimidated by his friends. Even by Quatre. Quatre was naturally warm, even the air around him was congenial but that was what intimidated him. He had never met anyone so kind and gentle. Yet deep beneath Quatre's warm, trusting nature, laid an unsettling soul crying for peace. It reminded Duo of himself, of the innocence he used to possess before he indulged in the battles.

The fact that he could relate to these pilots scared him a little. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate their friendship. As a matter of fact, he treasured the bonds they shared with his life. But there were those moments, those times when he gazed into their eyes, trying to search for similarities to connect them and at one point, he realized they were doing the same thing. But what he found disturbed him. Until now he could still remember the cold look in Heero's eyes the night before a terrifying battle. He had known Heero for only a couple of months at that time and he had familiarized himself when Heero fastened him with such gaze but somehow that night, his eyes appeared unusually cold and distance. Empty and hollow. It pierced his soul and it terrified him to know if these were the exact things that they saw in his eyes. Maybe not exactly in Quatre's but Trowa and Wufei used to have the same look, only they weren't exactly trained to possess the qualities a 'Perfect Soldier' like Heero should possessed. But the similarities were there. The thread that bound them together. That was why he found it really difficult to confide to them about his inner turmoil. With the exception of Quatre, they hardly ever allowed emotions to cloud their better judgments, which he assumed was the reflection of their intractable minds. He was always afraid he wasn't strong enough to control his fears but admitting to people of his struggle was a different issue altogether.

Duo closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath to steady himself. All of a sudden, series of events and flashbacks cut through his mind. Suddenly, he was back at the war. Back at the scene where he had committed horrendous crimes of massacre killings. Wreckages of buildings and destructions of all sorts surrounded him. Lifeless bodies were scattered all over the place, some laid in gruesome heaps. Eyes bulging, mouths hanging open in a silent scream. The strong combination of blood and corpse stung his nostrils. He recognized the air as his body stiffened and fear gripped his throat in a way so familiar to him. His chest constricted with dread as he watched the same event replaying across from him as he stared into the eyes of his victims as he took their lives yet helpless to stop the images from unfolding. Once again, he heard their bloodcurdling screams, bearing immense pain that he did not dare imagine. Their shriek so anguish that it actually hurt his ears. When he gazed down, he realized in horror that his hands were splattered with blood. His breath caught in his throat and he began to tremble.

A blaring honk jolted him and immediately the images vanished as he blinked. When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing across the street as people brushed past him to cross the road. His breath expelled in relief, although his heart still raced frantically from the effect. Mentally shaking his head and banishing the effects of such violent images, he quickly jogged down the road before the traffic lights changed. Once blended among the sea of rushing people, his pace slowed and he shamefully savored the feel of being surrounded by the crowd, as if it was his last meager attempt to be 'normal'.

Even so, the images would not leave him alone. Usually it came in the form of taunting dreams and he hadn't had any until recently. The images were always so vivid and if he was lucky enough to wake up in the midst of a terrifying deed, it was always difficult to sleep after that. Though most of the time he chose not to, for fear he would be trapped in the haunting void of pain and guilt. He didn't intend to let the others know about this, even if they had shared similar histories. However, Wufei, who had stayed over his apartment last night to complete some tasks, had caught his unintentional display of inner turmoil as he yelled in his sleep. Wufei didn't probe much about it, much to Duo's appreciation and the Chinese man acted indifferently towards him after that, as though it was a normal occurrence. But Duo knew Wufei wasn't the type to let this sort of things slipped past him that easily. Wufei was merely keeping silent about it to protect Duo's pride, which he later incidentally trampled on it by informing the others about his state.

A drop of rain fell on his nose, startling him. He glanced up to inspect the sky in time for the rain to come pouring down on him. Streaks of lightning flashed briefly in the sky and a moment later, a thundering roar was heard. Everyone began to rush frantically for shelter, bumping into him and almost knocking him over. The gusting wind wrapped him in a chilly embrace and his clothes were almost soaked. Instinctively, he pulled his jacket tighter around him, pressing the cap to his head and began running towards the nearest shelter available, which unfortunately, wasn't anywhere to be found as all of the stores had closed.

When his teeth started to chatter, he quickened his pace and was about to turn around the corner when something bumped into him hard. The impact was so strong that he instantly fell backward. A jolt of pain shot through through his body as he landed hard on the ground, forcing him to groan and he had to blink a few times to adjust to the sudden dizziness that washed over him as he tried to get up. When he finally regained a measure of control, he looked up in annoyance, intending to yell at whatever that was responsible for his pain but his voice was caught in his throat when he realized what had hit him.

Minako groaned quietly as she tried to block out the throbbing pain in her head. As though the hit had triggered a button on her emotions, she felt her eyes burned with unshed tears and her first instinct was to bawl her eyes out. She had had an extremely exhausting day, with mountains of unfinished school assignments, volleyball practice, the tournament in two days and the emotional baggage she had been carrying for years. All that was enough to drain her spirit. Then the rain fell and within seconds she was almost drenched. All of a sudden, the task of simply living seemed too strenuous for her and whatever remaining strength she had seemed to disappear. She didn't even have the energy to sit up so she simply laid on the hard ground. Streaks of rain streamed down her cheeks …or was it her tears? She couldn't tell. The chilly air didn't seem so cold anymore. In fact, her body was numbed yet it felt good to have the rain washed over her like this. Soaking her, cleansing her tortured and broken spirit.

"Aw, geez, are you okay?"  
The person who spoke sounded almost as weary as she was but before she could answer, she felt her body being hauled up to a sitting position. She finally looked up in daze yet even with the shock of terror paralyzing her body, she couldn't react properly upon meeting him again. Her energy was completely drained. She couldn't even sum up her anger or whatever bitter resentment she felt towards him.

"We have got to stop meeting like this."

His eyes lacked the amusement in his tone and Minako realized he was almost, if not already, equally drenched from the rain but his demeanor seemed different somehow. She tried to dismiss it as the result of the bleak weather but she could not ignore the apparent weariness in his features. His eyes no longer twinkled with mischief and instead, replaced by something that seemed to drain his spirit.

Realizing he was gripping her elbow, Minako stifled a startle cry and as though the feel of his skin around hers burned her, she yanked her arm back. Casting him an annoyed glance, she struggled to stand on her own until she felt a jolt of pain from her ankle and stumbled in the process.

"Hey," Duo cried in surprise as she fell into his arms, which almost dragged him back to the ground. "Don't get so excited now …." Noticing that she was too stunned at her predicament to reply, he immediately sensed her discomfort and inquired, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Minako was about to answer until she realized who he was. A surge of renewed anger forced her to pull back from him and maintain her stand. Her swift movement, however, caused the pain in her ankle to throb and she stumbled back to the ground with a wince. She was horrified at the sight of the swell forming around her ankle. "Oh god …"

Aware of her current state of distress, Duo wordlessly went to his knee to inspect her ankle. "It looks pretty bad," he concluded with a frown. "You must have sprained it when you fell. Come on. I'll take you to the doctor." With that, he helped her up gently and ignored her reaction as she recoiled from his touch. "You know, at least, we need to get you out of this rain."

"I can walk by myself, thank you," Minako spat out, jerking away from his grip.

Duo let out an exasperated sigh as he watched her picked up her bag from the floor and flinched. "I'm just trying to help. You're welcome by the way."

Minako opened her mouth to retaliate but exhaled her breath in a rush of impatience instead and turned away, too frustrated to even speak. She began limping ahead of him and she had her hand pressed against the wall for support. The sight of her forcing herself like this obviously had the effect of intensifying his guilt. He might not feel like hitting on her or even resuming their previous confrontation but his cavalier manners dictated that he could not allow such feminine creature, who was in obvious state of distress, limping about on her own, defenseless, cold and in the middle of the night like this.

Sighing and dismissing his growing irritation and weariness, he strode towards her. She looked up at him in puzzle, quickly concealing the brief inkling of pain in her features. Then, swiftly and without a word, he lifted her into his arms, emitting a cry from her and after a minute of adjustment, he trotted down the path, carrying her form.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Minako exclaimed, struggling to get out of his grip while at the same time, contemplating whether to hit him with her bag or give him a surprise punch. "Haven't you done enough? Let go of me, you pig!"

"Look, here's how it goes." His tone was so serious that Minako immediately lapsed into silence. "Whether or not you appreciate my help, I am still going to get you to the doctor. You can kick and scream all you want and try to escape but you will do it after you see the doctor. You can try to run now but you as well as I know, you are in no condition to go far." He let out a sigh, as though the mere act of talking and carrying her at the same time had drained away his energy. "So let's not make it any harder for either of us and just be quiet for the next five minutes, okay?"


End file.
